RWBY: The Ties that Bind
by AscalonBlack
Summary: After searching the continent for your missing mother, you found yourself in Vale working with some... less than reputable people. That is until; you're offered a spot at the prestigious Beacon Academy. What will become of this? And what does it have to do with magic? (Male Reader x Yang)
1. Chapter 1 The Blonde Brawler

**1\. The Blonde Brawler**

Sunlight filters through a window in a guest room in a house in Vale. The room, being a guest room was relatively scarce. There was a bed, obviously, a desk with a lamp and a few books resting on it against the wall opposite the bed. Two doors were stationed on the far wall, one being a closet and the other being a small personal bathroom. On the bed, someone was sleeping soundly; the covers over their head to block out the morning sunlight.

Slowly, the door opens leading to the rest of the house creaks open leading a young female to poke her head in. When she sees someone sleeping on the bed, she opens the door and walks in still in her sleepwear: a simple white tank top, a silhouette of a blue bear on the chest, and solid blue pajama bottoms; one leg rolled up to her knee. She shakes her head, attempting to fix her disheveled blue hair, but it only serves to make it worse. She sighs and continues walking to the bed. Once she reaches it, she leans down and pokes the person beneath the sheets.

"Hey... (Y/n) wake up." she says barley above a whisper.

You don't stir and she begins to violently shake you.

"Wake up ya lazy bum!" she screams.

You continue to sleep soundly as she just stares at you, then a devious smirk spreads across her face. She backs up to the wall then runs to the bed, kicking you out of it.

"WAKE UP ALREADY!"

"Azul... why?" you groan from the floor.

"Because you need to get up!"

"But you know I need my beauty rest." you say finally getting up off the floor.

She scoffs.

"Please, you'd still be ugly no matter how much sleep you got."

You put your hand over your heart, feigning being hurt.

"Oh Azul, must you be so... cruel?"

"Ugh! You are so lame!"

"Come on you're smiling." you say chuckling.

Azul crosses her arms and looks away, her face red from embarrassment and exasperation.

"Whatever. Mom said to get you for breakfast."

You shrug and start stretching.

"Alright, just let me get ready."

"Aren't you gonna say something to me?" she asks, expectantly tapping her foot on the ground.

You think for a second then snap your fingers.

"Yeah... you should probably fix your hair. I'm sure Amari wouldn't want a porcupine at the table." you chuckle.

She just looks at you in disbelief before stomping out of the room, slamming the door on the way out.

"Geez, what is her problem?" you mumble walking into the bathroom.

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After finishing your morning routine, you make your way to the dining room and are greeted with an array of different foods: pancakes, eggs, bacon, fresh berries and toast. You were drooling at the sight until your eyes landed on Azul glaring daggers at you while eating. You noticed that she had fixed her hair so it wasn't as messy, revealing a pair of bear ears on her head. You ignore her and start making a plate. As you were, a golden haired woman walks into the room, the same bear ears on her head and still in her sleepwear: a simple yellow nightgown, an apron still tied around her waist.

"Good morning (Y/n)." she greets with a smile.

"Morning Amari." you greet swallowing a mouthful of pancake.

Amari noticed Azul glaring at you but decided not to comment on it. Her being mad at you most likely meant that you forgot what today was, so she walked over to the table pouring a cup of coffee before you spoke up.

"So Amari, why'd you want me up for breakfast? I mean, not that I'm not grateful for the food, but you know that I'm not a morning person."

Amari sips a bit of her coffee before answering.

"Well (Y/n)... do you know what today is?"

You stop eating and think...and think...and think until you finally have an answer.

"Um... Saturday?"

Amari nods noticing Azul getting progressively angrier.

"Yes and...?" she urges.

You begin tapping the side of your head with your index finger.

"Um... uh... well..."

Azul had finally had enough; she stands up and slams her hands on the table, snapping you out of your deep thought.

"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY YOU JERK!"

You snap your fingers, finally remembering.

"Oh yeah! Happy birthday Azul!"

Amari giggles while Azul calms down and sighs.

"Please tell me you didn't actually forget what you promised me."

"Of course I didn't forget! I...just didn't remember. But, uh, could you remind me what that was?"

Azul just face palms and Amari walks over to you.

"Her weapon (Y/n)." she whispers.

"Right, right! I promised that I'd help you fix your weapon."

"And...?" Azul urges.

"And... that I'd help you train with it so that maybe you'd get back into Signal." you say sheepishly.

Azul smiles victoriously.

"Thank you. We're leaving as soon as you're done eating so hurry up!" she orders running out of the dining room to her room to get ready.

You sigh, exasperated and Amari clears her throat to get your attention.

"So... how much are you planning to spend on this weapon?"

You shrug.

"Dunno, but I do have nearly 3000 lien saved up from my... job, so about that much.

Amari frowns at the mention of your 'job'.

"I know, I know, but... I won't just let this slide. Amari you've shown me so much kindness that I wouldn't feel good if I didn't pay you back in some way. I've been getting closer to finding him the past few months, and I will bring your son back to you."

Amari nods and gives a wry smile.

"I know... you should still be careful though. If you died because of something like this..." she trails off.

She feels two arms wrap around her, looking down she sees you hugging her. She smiles and hugs back before you speak.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything crazy... for now." you say chuckling and letting Amari go.

"Besides, when Onyx Rose is finally repaired, I'm cutting ties with them."

Amari looks at you shocked.

"But what about-" you cut her off.

"I'll think of something Amari, I promise." you say confidently. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready, getting this weapon fixed is probably going to take _forever_."

With that, you retreat back to the guest room to prepare for the day. Amari sighs, knowing she should probably trust you, but her motherly instincts tend to take over at times. Granted you aren't her child, but she can't help but feel... scared for you.

"(Y/n)... please stay safe."

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After you finish your shower, you step out of the bathroom drying yourself off. You lay the towel on the bed so it can dry and begin to get dressed. You slip on your underwear and walk over to the closet, open it and grab your casual clothes. Well, casual and combat clothes as it was your only set of clothes; not that you minded of course, but you could use some more variety. You shrug, not really dwelling on it too long, and begin to get dressed. You slip on your shirt: a simple black t-shirt. After that, you put on your jeans; you grab your belt, bringing it through the loops of your jeans, and buckle it tightening it in the process. You then sit on the bed and put on your socks before slipping your feet into your shoes: white sneakers with three purple stripes running diagonally on either side. You tie them up and stand up off the bed, grabbing your jacket: white leather with the image of a blazing crown emblazoned on the back; pockets on either side of the chest and regular jacket pockets. You then slip your hands into your black fingerless gloves, the crown emblem knitted on the back courtesy of Amari.

You walk up to the full size mirror between the closet and bathroom doors and look at yourself. Satisfied with your looks, you leave the room heading towards Azul's room.

You walk up to her door and knock twice. The door opens revealing Azul, fully dressed in a long sleeve white button up blouse, the sleeves rolled up a bit above her wrists. Over the blouse, she wears an unbuttoned navy blue vest, a little pin of a blue bear on her left side. Adorning her legs are blue skinny jeans tucked into knee high, black heeled boots. Around her waist, was a belt with holsters on either side; holding her weapons, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, twin revolvers with short dagger blades running along the barrels; the blade of Ursa Major being slightly longer than Ursa Minor's. Finally, she has her hair done up in a ponytail, her bear ears on prominent display on her head.

"You ready?" you ask half joking.

"You can see me can't you?" she scoffs.

You flinch a bit at her tone and rub the back of your head.

"Yeesh, I was just joking."

She sighs.

"I-I know. Listen, I really appreciate you doing this for me, especially with all the crap I've put you through lately." she says sincerely while moving in to wrap you into a hug.

You smile and hug back.

"Aww, you do care." you joke.

"Don't ruin the moment." she deadpans.

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Now the two of you were walking down the streets of Vale, not really crowded considering the time of day, but there were some people walking the streets and cars going past you. As you walk, you notice Azul getting more and more irritated next to you.

"I hate the way these people are looking at me." she growls.

You know exactly what she's talking about; some of the people were giving her dirty looks due to her being a Faunus. You didn't really understand what the big deal was, Faunus were people too- just with extra features. Amari once explained to you that Humans and Faunus didn't have... the best history, and the White Fang certainly weren't helping the situation.

"Well... you having weapons on you doesn't help; even if they are broken." you whisper

Azul crosses her arms and huffs.

"Well... I don't give a damn what they think. I'm not gonna hurt anyone." she half whispers and half shouts.

"That's news to me." you mumble, recalling this morning.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

You wave your hand frantically.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!"

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After a few more minutes of walking, you finally your destination: a small, but well stocked weapons shop that also did repairs. 'Rusty's Weapons and Repairs' the sign above the door read, a wrench and a blacksmith's hammer crossed behind it. You push open the door sounding a bell and let Azul in first before following her in. You look around the shop, awed by the sheer amount of weapons; from swords, axes, and different firearms on display. While Azul was busy looking around, you walk up to the counter; seeing that no one was behind it, you walk up to the counter and ring the bell resting near the edge.

"I'll be with you in just a moment." a gruff voice answers from the back of the shop.

After a moment of waiting, the door behind the counter opens revealing a large, middle-aged man with shaggy red hair and a beard to match, wearing a dark red button up shirt the sleeves rolled up past forearms beneath a blacksmith's apron; a name tag on it saying 'Rusty'. As he walks up to the counter, his brown eyes focus on you and a smile forms on his face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, just finishing up another order." he apologizes.

You wave it off as Azul walks up to the counter next to you.

"Don't worry about it, we're in no rush."

"So what can I do for ya today?"

Azul steps up; pulling her weapons out their holsters and places them on the counter.

"I... need these repaired please." she says sheepishly.

Rusty picks up the revolvers and inspects them carefully, noticing the condition they're in. The barrels of both revolvers were chipped and cracked, the chamber of Ursa Minor being completely destroyed and the blade on Ursa Major broken in half.

"What happened to these?" he asks curious.

Azul rubs her arm, her face turning red from embarrassment.

"Uh… well... I tried using them with my Semblance."

"And that would be?"

"I... can make explosions." she says quietly.

It remains quiet for a minute before Rusty bursts out in laughter, not surprising you or Azul.

"Is that right? Well then little lady I'll fix them up right away." is laughter dying down.

Azul sighs as Rusty disappears back behind the door.

"Well, that was about the reaction I expected." she admits.

"Yeah, I laughed pretty hard when you told that to me." you say chuckling.

"Ugh, don't remind me." she laments.

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After waiting for about half an hour while browsing around the shop, Azul saunters up to you, her hands behind her back.

"Hey (Y/n)? Can I... ask you something?"

You smile at her.

"What's up?"

"Well... I was wondering... after I get my weapons fixed and you train me a bit, maybe I could help you... look for my brother." she proposes fidgeting a bit.

"No." you say sternly.

"But-" you cut her off.

"I said no Azul. This isn't a game, you could get hurt."

"That isn't stopping you!" she argues.

"Well I'm more experienced." you argue back.

"That's why I'm asking you to help train me first! I've already got two years of Signal under my belt, and a few weeks of training with you should get me up to speed."

You scoff.

"From what I've heard, Signal isn't exactly big on 'real combat.' The real world doesn't have Aura meters or sparring matches; make one wrong move and you could be crippled for life... or worse." you say direly.

"I know but... I want to help. You shouldn't have to do this alone. I know you're doing this as a favor to my mom and me, but Rojo's my brother...and I want him back."

You notice tears threatening to fall from her teal eyes. You sigh, thinking on it for a moment before making a decision.

"Alright I'll tell you what, I'll train you for a bit and if I decide you can handle yourself, you can help."

Azul's eyes immediately light up.

"Really?!"

"Yup. Good luck convincing Amari though."

"Don't worry, I can handle her." she says confidently.

"Whatever you say." you chuckle.

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About two hours pass by before Rusty returns from the back room, gaining the attention of you and Azul. The two of you walk over to the counter where he's waiting, his arms behind his back.

"Sorry it took so long, I didn't think doing what I wanted to do would be so difficult; but they're worth the wait."

He brings his hands around revealing Azul's weapons. The weapons looked absolutely pristine, light reflecting off the blue steel. The blades along the barrels were replaced with new ones, curving slightly at the ends, the blade on Ursa Major still being longer. The handles of the revolvers were polished with a dark wood finish, with intricate designs running from the handles up to the chamber and down the barrels; pulsing with red energy.

"Wow..." Azul chirped absolutely stunned.

"Well? Try 'em out." you urge.

Azul carefully picks up the revolvers and tests them. They were a bit heavier than she was used to, but she could manage.

"What's with these markings?" she asks.

Rusty chuckles.

"Well, when you mentioned your Semblance, I got an idea. When I was fixing the barrels, I managed to infuse them with special fire Dust that would work in tandem with it. I figured it would give every bullet some extra punch. I also managed to do the same with the blades."

He wasn't lying; upon closer inspection of the blades, the edges were glowing a faint red color, more noticeable at the tip.

"I... thank you so much." Azul utters in gratitude.

"Don't mention it kid, consider it extra. Speaking of..."

You walk up to the counter and slap an envelope on it, a sly grin on your face.

"Keep the change."

Rusty takes the envelope and opens it, his eyes widening at what he sees.

"You sure? I was only going ask for 550."

"Well in that case..."

You slip a few bills out of the envelope and pocket them.

"Keep the rest, you deserve it." you say sincerely.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"No thank you, you've made a girl very happy on her birthday." you point your thumb to Azul, who's still marveling at her weapons.

The two of you take your from the shop waving at Rusty as you leave. As you do, Azul holsters her weapons and turns to you.

"Why'd you spend all your money fixing my weapons?"

"Hey, I didn't spend all of it; besides, you're worth it." you say ruffling her hair.

Azul groans and swats your hand off her head. You chuckle and start walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"Well, it took a bit longer to fix your weapons than I thought, and I gotta get to work."

"Oh. But what about my training?"

"Tomorrow. I promise."

"Alright. I'll tell mom where you went."

You wave and continue walking, taking in the sights of the city. A part of you was worried for Azul, but worse come to worse; she can take care of herself and wouldn't unnecessarily hurt anyone.

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You make your way to the... less reputable side of Vale; the kind of place you'd go for fight clubs, back alley deals or... pleasurable company. Your objective, however, wasn't any of these places. No, your destination was a seedy little nightclub for your 'job'.

Pushing through the doors you take in the sights, seeing various people wandering around the club. Some sitting at the bar enjoying drinks, others mingling in the lounge area. Humans and Faunus alike are just having a good time; which put a smile on your face. There was no one on the dance floor just yet, due to the DJ still setting up, but he was playing some music for ambience.

"Hey (Y/n)~" a pair of sickeningly sweet voices call to you.

You turn around and see the twins, Melanie and Miltia Malachite in their feathered white and red dresses respectively. Ever since you started working at the club, they've been very... friendly toward you; always flirting and bothering you about this and that. You didn't really mind, as you've made it _abundantly_ clear that you weren't interested.

"Oh, hey girls." you greet with a smile. "You know where Junior is?" you inquire looking around the club.

The girls look at each other slyly before separating and walking to your sides; Melanie on your right and Miltia on your left. They take your arms in theirs, looking at you seductively.

"Why bother with him..." Miltia starts.

"When you have us?" Melanie finishes.

You continue to ignore them until you spot Junior going into a back room. You wrench your arms away from the twins and run off, much to their annoyance.

"Never mind, I found him. See ya!" you shout as you run, waving at them.

The twins only scoff and walk to the lounge area, to conduct their 'business'.

You push through the door that Junior walked into to reveal a well-furnished room, with a couch, tables and even a pool table. You walk over to where Junior was, leaning over a table looking over some papers.

"Hey Xiong." you greet with a smile.

He turns around to see you, though he's not surprised given that you're the only one who greets him like that.

"Do you have to keep calling me that?" he groans.

"As long as it's your name, yeah."

He sighs, knowing not to argue with you on this.

"Well anyway, you're actually early for once."

"Yeah, got my errands done earlier than I thought." you say walking over to the couch laying on it.

"Well don't expect to get paid extra." he chuckles.

You roll your eyes then close them.

"Yeah, yeah." you dismiss, waving your hand.

Junior collects the papers he was looking at and heads for the door, turning back at you when he reaches it.

"Well, I'm going to get to work; you know the drill."

"I'll be here if you need me." you yawn, giving a thumbs up.

Junior gives one final chuckle before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Now finally alone, you relax putting your hands behind your head before drifting off to sleep.

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A loud thud against the door abruptly wakes you up from your nap, causing you to fall off the couch. You groan as you stand up, rubbing your head.

"What the hell was that?" you groggily ask.

The banging and crashing continues as you sit back down, and you swear you could hear music; but it's not one of the usual songs. Your thoughts are interrupted as Junior bursts through the door, immediately slamming it behind him.

"Xiong what is going on out there?!"

"We're under attack!"

You sigh.

"Guess that means you need me?" you half joke.

"You think?!"

You sigh again before getting up from the couch and walking to the door, motioning Junior to move out of the way. As you walk through, you see what exactly caused the commotion; a lone girl was standing in the middle of the dance floor among the unconscious bodies of Junior's henchmen, Melanie and Miltia included. Her back was turned to you, so you couldn't see her face, but you take note of her long blonde hair. You turn to Junior, fear plastered on his face.

"Really? One girl?" you say in disbelief.

"She's not just one girl, she's a Huntress!" he argues.

You sigh and clear your throat, loud enough for her to hear you. She turns around, allowing you to absorb her features; bright lilac eyes and a smirk on her face, wearing a brown, short sleeved jacket, buttoned in such a way to show off her 'assets' over a yellow shirt, an emblem of fire on the left breast and an orange scarf around her neck. She wore black short shorts, a brown belt holding them up, and a white piece of cloth hanging off her hip. On her feet she wore brown, knee high boots and orange socks, the one on her left leg pulled up past her knee, while she leaves the other to bundle up over her boot with a purple scarf tied around her left leg. On her hands, a pair of black fingerless gloves; you notice golden yellow gauntlets on her hands extended down her forearms a bit. You gulp as your hand-to-hand leaves a bit to be desired.

"Well, I guess you're the last one." she says crossing her arms.

"Looks like it." you shrug.

You feel her eyes looking you up and down, sizing you up as you do the same.

"So what's your name Blondie?" you ask genuinely curious.

"Yang." she answers. "Yours?"

"Name's (Y/n). And I apologize Yang, but I'm gonna have to kick you out." you say stretching.

Yang raises an eyebrow.

"Really? _You're_ going to kick _me_ out?"

"Well it is my job." you say smirking and cracking your knuckles.

Yang smirks back.

"Bring it on then." she urges.

You ran towards her, cocking your fist back as Yang does the same. Your fists collide in the middle, causing a small shockwave and blowing around some debris. Before she can attack again, you open your fist, grabbing hers and with your free hand, grabbing her arm. You spin around, bringing Yang with you and throwing her across the club. She quickly recovers, landing on her feet and sliding back a bit. You look around for a weapon to use and spot one of the swords used by Junior's henchmen. You grab it and sigh, the slightest bit disappointed.

"Well... it's not Onyx Rose, but it'll have to do." you say to yourself as you grip the sword tightly in your hand in a reverse grip and position yourself in a low stance; your legs spread wide and bent slightly at the knees, bringing the hand gripping the sword to your hip, leaving your free hand to touch the ground.

Yang smirks as she gets into her own stance, bringing her right foot forward while spreading her legs; doing the same with her arms, right before left. Bringing her fists up to her face, she opens her right fist, motioning you to attack her. Now it was your turn to smirk.

You burst forward, sights set on Yang. She remains adamant, smirk still present on her lips, ready for anything you're about to do. When you're close enough, you strike, slashing upwards. Yang, being quick on her feet, dodges to the side, avoiding your slash. You're ready, however, as you spin on your heels, switching the sword to a normal grip and slashing horizontally. Yang blocks the strike with the back of her gauntlet clad fist, a loud clang of steel erupting from the clash. You push off her fist and swing again, but she simply leans back to avoid the attack before throwing a punch. You quickly block with the sword, her fist hitting the blade and with the added force of a shotgun blast, sending you sliding back. Yang doesn't let you recover as she rushes at you; throwing another fist your way, aiming at your face. You narrowly dodge it, but her free fist finds its way into your stomach. You cringe in minor discomfort but don't have time to dwell on it as she kicks your leg, knocking you off balance before roundhouse kicking you, sending you flying through the doors of the club.

Yang breathes in and out deeply before bringing her leg down to the ground, a satisfied smile gracing her lips.

"Well, that was easy." she says proudly.

She relaxes, bringing her hands to her hips and sighing. She then turns her head toward the bar; her eyes landing on Junior, who was watching the fight transpire.

"You need some better henchmen."

"Tell me about it."

Yang turns her head back to the entrance, to see you standing there, still gripping the sword you found, a bit of dirt on your clothes.

"Although, I can see why these guys couldn't beat you; you're pretty tough." you nonchalantly compliment as you brush yourself off.

Yang smirks, hands still on her hips.

"You're pretty good yourself, I thought you wouldn't bother getting up after that." she says making her way back to the dance floor turned battlefield.

You chuckle, also making your way to the dance floor.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going down that easily." you state confidently.

"Oh? Well I love a man who can _keep it up_." Yang flirts, winking at you for added effect.

You blush a bit, but decide to turn it back at her.

"I'll have you know that I can go all night long and that by the end of it, you'll be _begging_ for more." you flirt back, adding your own wink.

Yang's eyes widen and her arms drop to her sides as she feels her cheeks heat up. She shakes her head, clearing her blush as she gets back into a fighting stance; a wide smile plastered on her face.

' _This is gonna be fun_.' she thinks to herself.

You don't waste any more time talking as you rush at Yang again, unleashing a flurry of slashes, every one being blocked or evaded by her. You spin and try to kick her in the side with your heel, but she lifts her leg up to block yours. You push off your other leg still planted on the ground and spin around, trying to kick her in the head, but she blocks. You plant your sword in the ground for leverage behind you and shift your weight to spin yourself around. Now fully off the ground, you try to bring your heel into her chin, but she catches your leg and pushes it down to the ground. Once your foot touches the ground, you push off it one last time, flipping backwards and balancing on your sword.

Yang raises an eyebrow at your position, but keeps her guard up. You smirk as you spring off your hand, flipping forward and catching her by her shoulders, shifting your weight forward and throwing her away. Acting quickly, you retrieve your sword and dash at Yang at full speed, slashing her as she tumbles through the air, dashing past her as you do. Then, as she approaches you repeat the action, sliding across the floor as she crashes into a pile of chairs and bar stools.

You catch your breath as a bit of sweat drips from your brow; and as you do, you notice a few strands of blonde hair drifting toward the floor.

An explosion behind you catches your attention. You quickly turn around and see Yang standing where the pile of chairs and stools used to be, her eyes now a blood red and her hair literally on fire.

"Alright, playtime's over." she says menacingly, slamming her fists together as she does so.

"What the-"

You don't get to finish your thought as Yang is already in your face. You try to jump back but she grabs the collar of your shirt, her now red eyes piercing your soul. She throws a punch but you move your head to the side to dodge it. She throws another punch and you tilt your head to the other side. She repeats the action one more time and you bend your head backward to dodge; however, when you bring your head up, she head-butts you releasing your collar and letting you slide backwards. You don't get to breathe however as Yang is already upon you, throwing powerful punches that you can barely block. You see an opening and slash at her, but she catches the blade in her hand, snapping it in two. Your eyes widen in disbelief as you jump back.

"Oh come on!" you sigh exasperated.

You look up to see Yang barreling toward you and out of desperation; you throw the remainder of the sword at her. She knocks it away and throws a straight. You manage to dodge it and grab her arm, spinning around in an attempt to throw her again but she catches on to what you're trying to do so she uses the momentum against you, slamming her foot into the floor, abruptly stopping the two of you. Then Yang, with all her strength, throws you off the arm you're holding. Before you could recover, she rushes at you jabbing you in the stomach before upper cutting you. She grabs you before you go completely airborne pulling you to your knees and, with one final wink, crashes her fist into your face, sending you flying into the wall near the entrance. With that, Yang's hair 'extinguishes' and her eyes return to normal.

"Huh. So much for lasting all night." she playfully teases as she makes her way toward the exit.

"But... you sure know how to show a girl a good time. See ya around cutie." Yang gives a two finger wave and leaves the club.

Junior peeks his head from behind the bar to find the place is a wreck. He sighs not even wanting to think about how much fixing the club would cost. He then sees you, stuck in the wall by the entrance. He walks over to you, genuine concern on his face as you fade in and out of consciousness.

"You alright kid?"

You groggily look up.

"Hey... Xiong?" you groan.

"Yeah?"

"I quit." then you finally lose consciousness.

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 **Hello readers, AscalonBlack here with my very first story! And let me tell you that it has been in the works for a loooooong time; like 2 years or so. So, with that said tell me what you think and anything that I can do to make it better. I'll let you guys know when the next chapter is out so make sure you follow if you liked it. Until next time everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2 Offer of a Lifetime

**2\. Offer of a Lifetime**

You awake with a start, sitting up from your laying position. You immediately regret it as you feel a sharp pain in your head.

"Gah! What happened?" you groan holding your head.

You shake off the pain and try to recall what happened. After a minute of thinking, the image of Yang winking at you before driving her fist in your face plays in your mind. You shake your head before sighing and sitting up.

"Right... that."

Looking around, you see that you're in the back room of the club, sitting on the couch. You notice your jacket was draped on the couch behind you; you look over your body, finally noticing that you weren't wearing it. You shrug and grab it, standing up as you do so, and put it on. Your attention turns to the door as it opens and a man walks in, his red hair covering his right eye brandishing a cane in one hand and a sheathed katana in the other. He walks closer to you adjusting his black bowler hat while grimacing.

"Man, you look like crap." he says evenly.

You roll your eyes.

"Gee, thanks." you deadpan. "What do you want Roman?"

"Now is that any way to greet someone you asked to do you a favor?" he says smarmily.

You raise an eyebrow.

"Does this mean you fixed Onyx Rose?"

Roman smirks, tossing your weapon to you.

"They don't call me 'Reliable Roman' for nothing." he says proudly.

"No one calls you that." you deadpan, but he doesn't hear.

You inspect the sheath of the katana, the light reflecting off the black material, allowing you to see the design of a deep purple rose nearest to the hand guard of the sword, with thorns wrapping the whole way down the sheath. You grip the hilt, wrapped in purple silk with a golden pommel, pull the blade out and inspect the golden ovular hand guard; the designs of roses connected around the outside, with the bade protruding out the middle. Your eyes scan the blade, black with a deep purple edge, and several runes etched into both sides of it. You sheathe the sword, satisfied with the state of it.

"I gotta hand it to you Roman, it looks as good as new." you compliment.

"Well, it wasn't easy finding someone who was able to fix whatever the hell that thing is made of." he says dryly, pointing at the sword. "How'd it get broken anyway?"

"Uh... well..." you sheepishly rub the back of your head.

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 _You cut down the last White Fang member trying to run away. You look around the warehouse that they had occupied, seeing numerous crates; some with Dust, and others with unknown equipment in them. You also see the numerous White Fang soldiers you dispatched; all of them unconscious. "So, is that it?!" you shout, trying to gain any straggler's attention._

 _The doors of the entrance of the warehouse slam open, revealing a tall, dark skinned, green haired man with streaks of brown in a sleeveless green tunic tucked into brown pants and black boots. He brandishes a large, double bladed axe with a short handle and a steel chain attached at the end of the handle, wrapping up his right arm. He was wearing a different style of White Fang mask, covering his mouth and revealing his yellow eyes, focused on you._

 _"So... you're the one that Adam told us about. A lone human attacking our warehouses." he says; venom apparent in his voice._

 _"Hey, I didn't attack them! I just asked some questions about someone I'm trying to find, and they decided it was a good idea to try and kill me!" you say posing overdramatically. "If anything it was self-defense!"_

 _The man unwinds the chain from his arm and swings his axe at you. You quickly jumped out of the way as his axe hits the concrete floor, landing on one of the crates around the room._

 _"Well since you're here, maybe you could tell me where he is." you say, a cocky smirk on your face. "Name's Rojo- red hair, teal eyes, about this tall." you hold your hand up to your head._

 _He responds by stomping the ground with his foot, causing cracks to travel from his position to the crate you were standing on. When the cracks reach, sharp rock spikes pierce through the crate, destroying the machinery inside. You however, jumped to the ground to avoid it._

 _"Okay so I'll take that as a 'no'. Maybe this Adam person knows where he is; could you take me to him?" you propose jokingly._

 _The man stomps his foot again causing more rock spikes to spring up from where you were standing, you jumping back to avoid them. His axe bursts through the rocks, catching you by surprise; leaving you to block with your sword. You parry his axe and he swings again from the side, leaving you to duck. He continues swinging his axe and you continue dodging; ducking, back flipping and jumping to avoid his strikes._

 _You soon tire of dodging and decide to go on the offensive, dashing at the man. He swings his axe over his head a few times before bringing it down on you. You parry it, but he quickly pulls it back to his hand, slams it through the earth and pulls it out; the axe covered in sharp rocks, nearly doubling its size. The two of you swing your weapons at each other and they clash; both of you pushing against each other. You could hear the metal of your sword straining to stay whole as he overpowers you, pushing you off of him and swings again, and you do the same. As his axe hits your blade, it breaks, snapping in two. Your eyes widen in horror as he swings again and you're sent flying back into another crate._

 _"Shit..." you grimace at what's left of Onyx Rose._

 _You narrowly dodge the axe coming down on you and frantically look around for an escape route. You notice Dust crystals scattered around and an idea forms in your head; you sheathe Onyx Rose and grab some crystals. As the axe comes at you again; you dodge, grab the chain, pull him in and throw the crystals at your opponent. The crystals crash into him and as they do, they explode in a flurry of fire, electricity and ice. When the smoke and dust clear, the Faunus gets up, no worse for wear thanks to his Aura, and sees that you're gone along with the other half of your sword._

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"Wow. Really?" Roman says incredulously.

"What? I didn't have a lot of money at the time and Rusty couldn't fix it even if I did!" you argue.

"Well, aren't you lucky that you have a friend like me?" Roman smarmily says as he puts his arm around you.

You swat his arm off of you.

"We aren't friends Roman, you're a criminal!"

"And who was that criminal that saved your life?" he says smirking and walking to the door. "As far as I'm concerned, we're _best_ friends."

You cringe as he brings _that_ up.

"Besides, if you think I'm bad, you should see _her_." he shudders at the thought before turning back to you.

"Now, I've done you a favor, and I expect the same from you." he says pointing his cane at you. "Tomorrow. 7 P.M.; you're going to help us… 'acquire' some Dust."

"You mean _steal_?" you correct.

Roman rolls his eyes.

"Acquire, steal... same thing, different words."

"Well... I have a lot of things to do tomorrow." you smirk putting your hands behind your head. "I might just forget."

"Well you better remember (Y/n)." he says jabbing you with his cane. "Otherwise I might turn you in to my boss; and trust me; you do _not_ want to meet her."

You gulp. Roman had told you some things about the person he works for, and from the way he described her, she would burn you alive, literally. You sigh knowing that you have no other choice.

"Okay, okay. 7 P.M., I got it."

"Good. I knew I could count on you _buddy_." he mockingly says before leaving the room and subsequently the club.

You sigh, running your hand through your hair as you contemplate the situation you're in.

"Man, how am I gonna get out of this?" you groan making your way out of the room.

"Hey kid." you hear Junior's voice call to you.

"What's up?"

Junior puts an envelope in your hands. You look at it then back at him.

"If you're really gonna quit, then I figured that you should get one last paycheck." he says sincerely.

You shake your head and hand the envelope back to him.

"Thanks but you're gonna need every last cent to fix this place up, so keep it."

"You sure?"

"Positive." you smile.

Junior chuckles.

"Well, if you're not gonna take money, then take this." he says handing you some papers.

You look through them and your eyes widen.

"This is..."

"Yup. Maybe with this you can find that person you're looking for."

Thank you Junior, I mean it."

"Don't mention it (Y/n). Good luck out there."

He extends his hand out to shake, which you do with a smile. You wave at him before making your way out of the club; looking over the papers one last time before folding them up and putting them in your pocket.

' _As helpful as this is, it still doesn't help me get away from Roman. Oh well, maybe something will happen...'_ you think to yourself as youmake your way back to Amari's house.

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A loud banging could be heard on your door. You stir from your sleep, rubbing your eyes.

"I'm up, I'm up." you yawn.

You get out of bed, walk over to the door and open it, revealing an angry Azul, dressed in the same outfit as yesterday, minus her vest, her weapons at her hips looking at you.

"What?"

"You forgot again didn't you?" she says, pointing her finger at you accusingly.

"Forgot what?"

Azul punches you in the stomach before storming off.

"God, you are hopeless!"

You groan as you reel on the floor in pain.

"What... is her problem?" you wheeze, thinking for a minute before snapping your fingers. "Oh! Her training!" you immediately spring up and head to the bathroom.

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After you shower and get dressed, you head downstairs, weapon in hand. You notice Amari isn't there and Azul is sitting at the dining room table glaring at you.

"Where's Amari?"

"She had to run some errands." Azul stated plainly.

"Oh. Well... uh... sorry I didn't remember that I promised you to train you today. I had a rough day at work." you say rubbing the back of your head. "There was this blonde girl...she kicked my ass...you know."

Azul bursts out laughing.

"You... got beat up... by a girl?!" she says between laughs.

"Hey, she was really tough! And her Semblance didn't help, at least I think it was her Semblance..." you start trailing off.

"Well whatever, you can tell me all about it on our way to the park." she says walking out of the house, you following after her.

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While you and Azul were walking the streets of Vale headed towards the park; you were telling her about your night last night.

"Wow." Azul laughed. "She really wrecked you didn't she?"

"Yes... she did..." you deadpan, not really wanting to dwell on it. "What I'm still trying to figure out is where she got that bizarre strength from."

"Maybe it was because you cut her hair?" Azul suggests.

You scoff.

"Azul please, who gets super powerful just because their hair gets cut?"

"I mean... I'm just saying..."

"Well whatever. Now that I have Onyx Rose back, she won't be beating me again." you state confidently. "Although if I see her again, it'll be too soon."

Azul raises an eyebrow.

"Does having your weapon reallymake _that_ much of a difference?"

"Of course! When you see Onyx Rose in action, you'll see; it's like magic." you declare cradling your weapon like a baby.

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The two of you reach the park; looking around, you see the lush green grass and plenty of trees. People were enjoying the scenery and the sunny weather; some were walking around, others were sitting on the grass and assorted park benches. You walk past a playground, children playing on the swings and the jungle gym, with others playing Huntsmen hunting 'Grimm' - which were other children - with wooden weapons. You continue walking and reach a nice, large clearing in the forest near the park, far enough away from the people; you and Azul take positions across from each other, you unsheathing Onyx Rose and her holstering Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, switching them into dagger mode; pulling the handles back and extending the blades.

"You ready?" she asks excited.

You don't say anything.

"Hellooo? I said are you ready?"

You remain silent, your head down.

"Is this because I made fun of you for getting beat by up a-"

She's interrupted by you suddenly rushing at her; slashing at her head. She narrowly dodges, your sword barely missing her nose. She blocks another slash from you with her daggers, using all of her strength to keep you at bay. She pushes you off of her and slashes at your head; you duck and bash the hilt of Onyx Rose into her stomach. She cringes in pain while sliding back, holding her stomach. She then switches her weapon back into revolver mode and starts shooting at you. You block and parry the bullets; and when you're close enough, you slash upward, making her jump back.

She spins the revolvers in her hands before activating her Semblance, and then shoots two explosive bullets at you. You decide to block and the bullets hit their mark and explode. Azul pumps her fist at her landing a hit on you but her expression soon changes to shock and disbelief as the explosion is sucked into the blade of Onyx Rose, the runes glowing a vibrant red. You smirk as you slash the air diagonally, setting the sword ablaze; Azul snaps out of her stupor and switches back to dagger mode, activating her Semblance through the blades.

You rush at each other again, Azul attempting to stab you, but dodge to the side and attempt a horizontal slash at her torso. She jumps, creating an explosion from her feet to propel herself over your slash. She then twists herself in the air and brings her daggers down on you; you jump back to dodge then spring forward and slash, Azul blocking the strike. You push off each other again, Azul unleashing a barrage of stabs, each one carrying explosive force. You parry and block each one before she stops, jumps and drop kicks you, releasing an explosion as she does. You're blown back, sliding across the grass stopping yourself with your blade; you notice the runes on Onyx Rose were no longer glowing and decide to switch it up, gripping your sword tightly, letting your Aura flow into the blade, the runes glowing a vibrant purple.

Azul gets up from the ground and sees you standing there, gripping your sword tightly with both hands in front of your face; the runes on it glowing purple. She rushes at you, and slashes horizontally; you block and she spins on her heels slashing repeatedly and you keep blocking. She finally stops herself and with her Semblance, spins the other direction and lands a kick on your torso; making you slide back a bit. You stab the blade into the ground and concentrate; Azul looks a bit confused at your actions before the blade bursts up from the ground in front of her. The tip hits its mark: her stomach again, knocking her up into the air. She then looks up, seeing you running toward her, sword in hand. You catch her by the blunt side, slamming her to the ground.

"K.O." you smile victoriously.

"Oh... _now_ you wanna talk..." Azul struggles out.

You were about to respond when you heard clapping and cheering behind you. Looking back, you see a group of children that was observing your sparring session.

"That was awesome!" a Faunus boy exclaims

"Did you see her? She was all 'swish, swish, BOOM'!" a girl says mimicking Azul.

"Yeah, yeah! And when that guy's sword went through the ground! Sooo coool~" another girl coos.

You help Azul up and the kids surround you bombarding you with questions.

"Are you Huntsmen?"

"How do your weapons work?"

"Can you show us some moves?"

You sheathe your sword and look to Azul; she just shrugs and you speak up.

"Okay, okay; settle down. We'll show you guys a bunch of stuff, but only if your parents are okay with it."

The kids look at you enthusiastically, dragging you and Azul back to the park.

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You and Azul are walking back to the house after a full day of sparring and playing with the kids, the sun beginning to go down.

"Well, that was fun." you comment, hand behind your head.

"Yeah. So, how was I?" she inquires eagerly.

"Eh...you were okay."

"Okay?! What do you mean?!"

"Your strikes were a bit sloppy and you're a little too... trigger happy with your Semblance." you analyze. "I mean it's strong, but you've gotta be careful with it."

Azul huffs and crosses her arms.

"You don't have to tell me that! Trust me I know..." she says moving her hand to her stomach.

"Well I thought I'd tell you anyway." you state plainly. "So did you talk to Amari about helping me?"

"Yeah... well... about that..." she starts sheepishly. "It took a bit of convincing, but she agreed... after I graduate from Signal."

"And that's if they even decide to take you back." you chuckle.

"Maybe if I say I'm reeeeeally sorry?"

"Saying sorry doesn't change the fact that you tried to blow up a teacher."

"That drunken idiot had it coming!" she argues, frantically waving her arms above her head.

You burst out laughing, holding your stomach; Azul rolls her eyes and keeps walking. Before long she turns to you and asks you the million lien question.

"So... how does your weapon work?"

"Magic." you state plainly.

"That might've worked on the kids, but it won't work on me. Seriously, how does it work?"

"I told you. Magic."

"I'm being serious!"

You sigh.

"So am I. The blade is made of a special metal that changes shape when exposed to Aura; the runes etched into it help expedite the process. They can also draw elements into the blade." you explain. "My mom explained it when she gave it to me."

"Was that really so hard?"

"No. It's just easier to say it's magic."

"Please (Y/n), magic doesn't exist. Just stuff in fairy tales." Azul scoffs.

"Magic exists; mom used to tell me all sorts of stories about her travels. People who could change the weather and call lightning bolts from the sky, people who could harness elements without Dust, people who could transform into animals, all sorts of stuff." you recall longingly.

Azul rolls her eyes as you reach the front door.

"Whatever (Y/n), keep dreaming." she skeptically says as you both enter the house.

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You run along the rooftops of some buildings in Vale, a bit of sweat running down your face; Onyx Rose in your hand.

"Damnit! Why didn't Roman tell me where to go?!" you curse.

You stop on one of the rooftops to catch your breath when the crashing of glass catches your attention. You kneel and look over the edge and see one of Roman's henchmen lying on the ground in front of a Dust shop called 'From Dust Till Dawn'. You chuckle at the name until some more people come out; Roman and three more henchmen and a young girl with a red, hooded cloak and black hair wielding a giant scythe. You stand back up and stretch before smirking.

"Alright (Y/n), show time." you say before dropping off the building.

As you land on the ground, everyone's attention turns to you. The dust clears and you stand from your crouching position.

"Don't worry, I'm okay." you joke dusting yourself off.

"(Y/n), glad you could join us." Roman says mockingly. "You're late."

"What? It's not like I _knew_ you'd be here!" you argue, stepping next to the girl. "I had to learn it from Junior. _Hey,"_ you whisper to her. _"You think we can take 'em?"_

She looks at you, a bit confused.

"Oh... uhhh... yes?" she says unsure.

You shrug.

"Eh, I'll take it."

"(Y/n), what do you think you're doing?"

"Making a choice. Consider this my resignation." you say unsheathing Onyx Rose.

Roman sighs, turning to the men on either side of him.

"Well? Get them!" he orders, pointing his cane at you two.

The three run at you and you do the same; jumping and flipping over them, leaving the red-hooded girl to deal with them. But you figure that if she has a weapon, she can take care of herself. You land in front of Roman, who's looking at you sourly, readying his cane.

"Kid, you're making a _big_ mistake." he warns.

"Aw, don't be like that Roman; for what it's worth, you've been a _wonderful_ asset." you say giving a mock bow.

Roman grits his teeth before aiming his cane at you, the bottom of it flipping open and he shoots. You dodge the shot and rush him, slashing at his neck. He blocks and pushes you off of him and, using the crook of his cane, catches you by the leg; tripping you before jabbing the end of his cane into your stomach, knocking you back to the red-hooded girl, who already dispatched her enemies.

"You know, as much as I'd like to continue humoring you kids, I've got places to be." Roman says before loading a fire Dust crystal into his cane and shooting it at you and the red-hooded girl.

"Look out!" you yell as you and her jump out of the way of the explosion.

The dust clears and you look up to see that Roman is gone. You look around for a second until the girl speaks up.

"Up there!" she points toward the rooftops where Roman was making his escape.

"Quick, go after him! I'll take care of things here." you say waving her off.

She nods and rushes off, scythe in hand, leaving you to check on who you presume to be shopkeeper: an elderly man with grey hair.

"Are you alright?" you ask inspecting him and the shop.

He nods.

"You know, owning a Dust shop nowadays isn't very safe. Maybe you could be a truck driver or own a ramen shop or something." you suggest.

He raises an eyebrow as you hear sirens in the distance.

"Eh, just a thought." you shrug. "Gotta go!" you run off, waving.

You run through a back alley, trying to find where Roman and the girl went off to.

"Damn... where'd they go?"

An explosion catches your attention and you run toward it; you then come up on a building and start climbing it. As you reach the top, you notice a Bullhead flying away; you climb up and see the red-hooded girl and next to her a new woman, her blonde hair done up in a bun with a black cape flowing behind her. The red-hooded girl turns to her, stars in her eyes.

"You're a Huntress!" she says in awe. "Can I have your autograph?"

You chuckle and shake your head before you speak up.

"What'd I miss?"

They then turn to you and you can see them clearly, the red-hooded girl having... silver eyes; you remember your mother telling you about people with silver eyes, that they were special... or something. You push it to the back of your mind for now and turn your attention to the blonde woman, her green eyes locked onto you through her ovular glasses. You see she's wearing a white blouse showing off some cleavage and a black pencil skirt; she finishes with black stockings and black heeled boots. You squint your eyes at her; she looks familiar, but you can't really place it.

"Both of you, come with me." the blonde speaks, her voice calm yet commanding.

"Well, as much as I would love to, I think I hear my mother calling me." you joke as you try to jump off the roof.

You open your eyes and see that you're not falling; in fact you're floating, you flail your arms and legs as you float over to the woman. When you're close enough, she lowers what you presume to be her weapon, a riding crop, and drops you; leaving you to land on your butt. You look up and chuckle awkwardly; rubbing the spot she dropped you on.

"Uh... hi." you wave.

The silver-eyed girl giggles while the blonde merely rolls her eyes.

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The two of you were now sitting in what looked to be an interrogation room next to each other. You were calm and collected; legs up on the table in front of you, your hands behind your head and Onyx Rose on your lap. The girl on the other hand; was terrified, shaking in her chair. You turn to her, noticing her black hair was red at the tips.

"Okay, you're gonna need to calm down." you say evenly.

She turns her head to you, eyes wide with fear.

"B-but, but-" you interrupt her.

"Look, just take deep breaths; nothing good will come from you panicking." you advise.

She takes your advice, taking deep, long breaths and calming her nerves; once sufficiently calm, she turns back to you, a smile on her face.

"Uh... thanks." she says gratefully. "I... kinda freak out from time to time."

You smile at her.

"No problem." you assure. "We all have our episodes."

"Hehe... yeah."

"(Y/n)."

"Huh?"

"My name."

"Oh, right hehe... my name's Ruby." she responds with a smile.

"Well Ruby, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Just then, the door opens and the blonde woman from before walks in, riding crop in hand. She turns to you, sees your feet up on the table, and smacks her crop on your leg. You yelp, and quickly bring your legs down.

"Feet off the table." she reprimands, glaring at you.

You only slump in your chair and cross your arms, leaving Ruby to giggle at your expense. The woman quickly casts a glare toward her, silencing her; you smirk and stick your tongue out at her.

"Your actions, while admirable, were dangerous and irresponsible." she lectures. "Innocent people could have gotten hurt, including yourselves."

"Well what did you expect us to do? Nothing?" you argue.

"I _expect_ you to let the authorities handle it." she argues back.

You scoff.

"Yeah, because they've been doing a real bang-up job recently."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean think about it, if the authorities were able to 'handle it', then Torchwick would be in jail already." you rationalize. "Come to think of it, where are the Huntsmen? Shouldn't they be doing _anything_ to-"

"ENOUGH!" she yells startling you and Ruby.

She takes a deep breath, regaining her composure before speaking again.

"If it was up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back... and a slap on the wrist." she threatens.

"That's enough Glynda." a new voice speaks.

A new person walks in through the door, a mug in one hand and a plate of cookies on top of two manila envelopes in the other; his head full of messy grey hair and his brown eyes behind small, round dark glasses. He wears a black suit jacket covering a black vest and green undershirt with dark green dress pants with black dress shoes. Around his neck is wrapped a green scarf, a purple cross where his Adam's apple would be. He sits in the chair across from you and Ruby, setting the mug and plate down in front of him; keeping the envelopes in his lap.

"Good evening you two." he says taking a sip from his mug before his eyes focus on Ruby. "You... have silver eyes." he mutters.

You merely nod while Ruby was distracted by the plate of cookies, staring at them hungrily. She sees him give a short nod and she reaches out and takes a cookie and immediately stuffs it in her mouth; her face lighting up at the taste, and she takes another...and another...and another. The man pulls out a tablet showing yours and Ruby's fight against Roman and his henchmen.

"Now where, may I ask, did you learn to do this?"

Simmghngl Acammghdemmghy." Ruby answers first, her mouth full of cookies. She gulps and chuckles sheepishly. "Hehe... sorry. Signal Academy." you take note of that; maybe she knows Azul.

The man chuckles.

"As I recall, there's only one person that can wield a scythe with such skill: a dusty old crow."

"Oh! That's my uncle Qrow! He teaches at Signal. Yeah, I was total garbage until he took me under his wing; now I'm all like 'whoaaa, achooo'." mimicking karate gestures.

"And what about you?" the man asks turning to you.

"My mother's trained me since I was able to walk; but other than that, self-taught." you answer.

"Your mother? I see..." he murmurs. "So why does an adorable little girl like you want to train to fight monsters?" his attention turning to Ruby.

"I've wanted to be a Huntress ever since I knew what it was; my mom was a Huntress - dad too - so I guess it's because of that. It's just so exciting and romantic and... wow." she says dreamily. "Plus I get to help people, so it's a win-win right?"

You smile at her response; it isn't often you find someone with such noble goals, especially so young. You get ready for him to ask you the same question, but he asks a different one.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Nope." you answer honestly.

Ruby looks at you shocked and almost offended.

"What?! How do you not know the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin?!"

"Hello." Ozpin greets bowing his head slightly.

You take a second to look over Ozpin, taking in his features; he definitely seems... different, but you don't recognize him.

"Sorry... nothing." you say apologetically.

"It's quite alright (Y/n)." he assures. "I just have one last question for the two of you; would you like to join my school?"

Ruby's eyes widen and her jaw drops.

"R-really? Just like that?"

"Just like that." he confirms.

"I... I wouldn't want anything else."

"Very well then. What about you-"

"Yes! Absolutely!" you say without any hesitation.

Ozpin smiles at your eagerness; he turns to Glynda, who only shoots him an unsatisfied glare. He then pulls out the two manila-colored envelopes; he passes one to Ruby, while he keeps the other one to himself.

"I need you to fill out a bit of paperwork; nothing major, but your father should be able to help you if you need it Miss Rose."

"Oh... uh... okay."

"Ugh, paperwork." you groan.

Ozpin chuckles.

"Not to worry (Y/n). Glynda here will take care of it for you." he assures.

"She will?"

"I will?"

"Yes, she will." he states and Glynda rolls her eyes. "Now then, the school year starts in a few days; so be sure you're ready by then. Now, if you'll excuse us..."

He motions to the door and you and Ruby take your leave, waving as you do so; Ruby more enthusiastically than you.

"I can't believe it...I'm going to Beacon!" she squeals. "(Y/n), maybe we'll-" she turns around to see you were gone. "-be in each other's classes."

Her face immediately drops.

"Aw man... I thought I made a friend..." she utters downtrodden, beginning to walk home. "...guess he was just being nice."

Ozpin sits back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face as he sips from his mug. He looks to Glynda, her face fraught with concern.

"Glynda, is something bothering you?"

She looks down, contemplating whether or not to voice her concerns; she's learned throughout the years to trust Ozpin, but this time she can't help herself; especially after the way you spoke to her.

"It's just... are you sure you want to let those children to enter Beacon? I mean, Miss Rose I understand, begrudgingly I might add, but him?"

"You didn't recognize him?" Ozpin inquires handing her the envelope.

She shakes her head.

"Well then, have a look."

She opens the envelope and glances over your paperwork. As she does, her eyes widen at what she sees.

"(Y/n)... Goodwitch?"

"Yes, I didn't recognize him at first either; though he does look more like his father."

"I see. Well, that would explain his attitude." she scoffs.

"He does have his mother's spirit." Ozpin chuckles.

Glynda sighs, making her way to the door.

' _Hopefully that's all he has.'_ she thinks to herself. "I'll be taking my leave then, since I have even _more_ paperwork to do now."

"Very well then Glynda. I apologize for the inconvenience." Ozpin says sincerely.

"It's no problem Ozpin; I'm just glad he's okay." she smiles as she exits the room, leaving Ozpin with his thoughts. He takes a long sip from his mug before getting up from his chair and walking to the door.

' _Rhea... I wonder if you know your son is here... or if you even care.'_ he thinks looking up at the night sky.

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 **Aaaaaand done! Two chapters down... plenty more to go... oh boy. I just want to thank everyone who followed/favorited/read/reviewed my story; it means a lot! I'm glad you liked it enough to do that.**

 **So, the main issue I want to address here is Rhea Goodwitch, an OC of mine who's Glynda's older sister and your mother. I can't say too much about her role in the story because... spoilers, but I want your guys' opinion on this. I want to put a spotlight on different characters that weren't really...elaborated on in the show, like Glynda. She was a character that was the stereotypical strict teacher and not really much else, so this is a way for me to expand her character a bit. Her thoughts, her concerns, her aspirations, her larger role in this story... again spoilers... but tell me what you think about this. Do you love it? Hate it? Have no strong feelings one way or the other? Let me know! I'm going to try to do this for a multitude of characters, including team CRDL, but we'll get there when we get there.**

 **So, tell me what you think of this chapter and I'll try to get at least two more chapters out this month, time permitting. I also promise author's notes in the future won't be as long... probably. So until next time, see ya!**


	3. Chapter 3 Arrival and a Rival

**3\. Arrival and a Rival**

You climb into the window of the guest room of Amari's house; you fall in, then stand up, back to the door.

"I can't believe it... to think I'd have such a great stroke of luck." you say excited.

Suddenly, the light comes on in the room; you turn around quickly to see Amari standing there in her yellow nightgown, a stern expression on her face.

"And where have you been (Y/n)?" she demands.

"Oh... uh... well..."

As you try to come up with an excuse, you sigh knowing you can't lie to Amari and decide to tell the truth; about Roman, the meeting with Ozpin and getting offered to join Beacon.

"I see. So he just offered you a spot at Beacon just like that?"

"I know! I couldn't believe it either! I told you I'd think of something."

"(Y/n), that was complete luck that happened." Amari rationalizes.

"I'm still counting it." you say triumphantly.

Amari sighs.

"Look (Y/n), we'll talk about this in the morning, so get some rest."

"Alright. Goodnight Amari." you smile.

"Goodnight (Y/n)." she smiles back.

She turns off the light and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. You sigh and close the window, locking it; you place Onyx Rose on the desk and take off your jacket, hanging it on the chair behind it. You take off your shoes and lie back on the bed, not bothering to undress further.

 _'Hehe, looks like Lady Luck is smiling on me tonight.'_ you think to yourself, closing your eyes. _'Wait a minute... how did Ozpin know my name?'_ was your final thought before drifting off to sleep.

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"What?!" Azul yells in disbelief. "So I get kicked out of Signal, but _you_ get offered a spot at Beacon?!"

"Again, you tried to blow up a teacher!" you argue at her.

She immediately quiets down, pushing her index fingers together.

"W-well... but..."

"But nothing Azul." Amari scolds. "You have to deal with the consequences of your actions."

"I know mom..." Azul utters.

"Then stop acting like such a child!" she reprimands further, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Cut her some slack Amari." you defend. "It's like you said, it was complete luck what happened."

"I know, but her temper has been an issue in the past; and this time it caused her to almost hurt an innocent person, and that I cannot stand for." she lectures.

Azul looks down, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"I know you're sorry, but you have to show that you've learned from your mistakes Azul, and show the teachers at Signal that you've matured." Amari lectures, lifting Azul's head.

Azul sniffles, tears falling freely down her face.

"I know mom... I'll… I'll do better, I promise." she says with determination.

"I know you will." Amari smiles. "Now come here my little cub." she says wrapping Azul in a hug.

"Aww come on mom! Not in front of (Y/n)!" Azul whines face red with embarrassment.

You wave your hand, smiling.

"Hey don't mind me, you two enjoy your... _bear hug_." you snicker.

Azul just stares at you blankly.

"Seriously?"

"What? It was funny."

"It really wasn't." she deadpans.

"Well anyway, after breakfast we're going shopping (Y/n); you know, for the essentials." Amari says changing the subject.

"Essentials?" you question.

"You know; extra clothes, soap, toothpaste, Dust capsules." Azul lists off. "You know; essentials."

"Ah right. But I don't need Dust capsules, I need the whole crystal for Onyx Rose to work." you explain.

"Oh..."

"But don't worry about it, I can make do without them for now." you assure, getting up from the table.

"Wait!" Azul interjects. "What about my training?"

You bring your hand up to your chin.

"Hmm... well when I have time, I'll be sure to drop by and visit. That's when we'll train. Until then, be sure to practice."

"I will (Y/n), I promise." she nods.

You smile and ruffle her hair before you run upstairs to you room to get ready for the day.

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Azul pounds on your door with her fist, an annoyed expression on her face.

"(Y/n)! Wake up!"

You open the door finally, revealing you groggily looking at her.

"What... do you want?"

She sighs.

"You know what? I'm not even gonna bother." she deadpans before walking away.

"Wait, what's today?" you ask yourself as you scratch your head, seeing a bag packed near the foot of the bed. "Oh right!"

You run into the bathroom and quickly take a shower; after which you sloppily get dressed. You grab your bag and Onyx Rose and run out the door, making your way downstairs to see Amari and Azul sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Well, look who's finally up." Amari says jokingly.

"Hehe... sorry." you sheepishly rub the back of your head.

"You shouldn't be apologizing to us (Y/n); you're gonna miss the airship to Beacon." Azul says.

You check the time and see she was right; it was 5 minutes to 8.

"Shoot! OkaywellbyeyoutwoIpromisethatI'llvisitwheneverIgetthechanceokaybye!" you yell to them as you bolt out the door.

Amari just snickers and shakes her head.

What on Remnant does Ozpin see in him?" Azul asks.

"I don't know, but whatever it is it must be something special." Amari responds with a smile.

You run your way through Vale toward the landing pad of the airship heading to Beacon at full speed and you reach it just in time...to see it leaving.

"Nonononono!" you panic as you run.

You unsheathe Onyx Rose and concentrate, aiming at the airship. The blade extends and bends toward it, piercing the hull; you smile as you retract the hilt to the blade, you flying with it.

"Woohoo!"

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A blonde boy walks his way to the back of the airship, holding his stomach as he does so. As he reaches the back, he finds a seat and sits, trying to calm his stomach. He's wearing assorted pieces of white and gold armor over a black hooded sweatshirt, with blue jeans and a simple pair of sneakers.

"Okay Jaune, you can do this." he tries to assure himself. "Mom said motion sickness is normal."

He continues to take deep breaths trying to calm his nerves when suddenly a blade pierces through the hull of the airship, barely missing the blonde. He yelps as he stands up, terrified.

"Woah! That was close!"

He immediately regrets his decision as his bout of motion sickness returns. His blue eyes scan the airship, looking to find a trash can and as he does, he runs towards it; leaving behind his weapon: a simple shorts word in a sheath to match his armor.

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You continue to fly through the air, shouting out of pure excitement until you reach the airship, smashing into it. Thinking quickly, you extend Onyx Rose and jump, bending the blade as you do, and land on the top of the airship. Once you've gained your footing you retract Onyx Rose, sheathing it, and then sit down, taking in the sights. You can hear a familiar voice reciting a rehearsed speech welcoming the new students, but you ignore it and focus on Beacon in the distance. You smile; thinking about what awaits you at the prestigious academy.

"Beacon, here I come!"

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"Now... where the hell do I go?"

You're walking around the grounds of Beacon, taking in the sights...well, that was 20 minutes ago; now you're trying to figure out where you're supposed to be going. You hear an explosion in the background, but decide not to go find what caused it, you having enough of explosions for one lifetime; thanks in no small part to Azul.

"Okay, I think I've passed by that statue like, twice already." you comment passing the bronze statue of a Huntsman.

"Okay, no need to panic (Y/n)." you reassure yourself. "Let's try... this way." you point in a random direction, walking the way you pointed.

You keep walking and bump into someone, knocking them down. You look to see that it's a young woman with red hair dressed in spartan-esque armor, a shield and short sword on her back and bronze circlet on her head. She looks up at you, her emerald eyes looking at you apologetically.

"I'm so sorry." she apologizes.

"Uh... why are you apologizing?" you ask confused. "I'm the one who knocked you down." you say as you help her up.

"Oh... right... well I'm sorry anyway, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Again, no need to apologize." you assure. "Name's (Y/n); yours?" you ask extending your hand.

"Pyrrha Nikos." she responds, shaking your hand.

"Hmm, you look familiar..." you bring your hand up to your chin thinking.

"Well I was-"

"You were on the front of Pumpkin Pete cereal boxes!" you exclaim, finally putting it together. "Wow... I didn't know a celebrity was going to Beacon."

"Well, I am also a world-renowned fighter." she adds.

"Oh... well that's cool too. But I'd look out if I were you, I'm going to be the best first year here!" you state confidently.

"Is that a challenge?" she inquires, genuinely interested.

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm just saying... watch your back."

"Well then (Y/n), I look forward to our little rivalry in the future." she says extending her hand.

"As do I Pyrrha." you shake her hand. "Now if you'll excuse me... I need to find where I need to go."

You smile and wave, walking away as Pyrrha does the same. She then stops and turns around, but you're already gone.

 _'Why didn't he just ask me where to go?'_ she wonders, walking away.

Eventually, you make it to a cliff overlooking a lush green forest; you look over to the right and see... springboards? You don't know what they are, but you ignore them for now and walk to the edge of the cliff and look out, whistling at the view.

"Now that's what I call a view, even if it is just trees."

Deciding that you've had enough walking, you sit down on the grass, laying Onyx Rose beside you; you then lie back, using your bag as a makeshift pillow. You bring your hands behind your head and close your eyes, relaxing.

 _'I'll just rest here for a bit.'_ you think. _'I'm sure someone will find me... eventually.'_

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Glynda Goodwitch taps her foot patiently against the wood of the stage she's standing on, waiting for Ozpin to finish his speech. Her green eyes scan the room, and by her accounts, all the students are present... except for you; she inwardly sighs, knowing that she'll have to find you. In all honesty, she's ready for you to burst through the doors and interrupt the speech, but you never do. Once Ozpin finishes, he motions for her to address the students.

"All first-year students will report to the ballroom tonight. Remember that initiation is in the morning, so rest well."

And with that, she and Ozpin step off the stage, walking into the hallway.

"So... (Y/n) isn't here yet." he comments.

"No he isn't." she sighs, not even surprised that he noticed. "Not to worry, I'll look around the campus to try to find him."

"And if he isn't?"

She sighs again.

"Well I suppose I'll have to search the city; maybe he forgot, or perhaps he wasn't actually interested." she rationalizes. "Which means I did his paperwork for nothing." she mutters to herself.

"Well either way, I'll leave it to you Glynda." he says taking a sip from his mug. "Oh and by the way, I received a report that someone was sitting on top of the airship that coming here."

"Sitting on top of the airship?" she questions.

"Yes, apparently this person had stabbed the hull of the airship with a sword before jumping on top."

"Hmm... well after I find (Y/n), I'll look into it."

Ozpin chuckles.

"Very well, I wish you luck."

Glynda bows as he walks away and turns she turns to walk the opposite direction, beginning to search the campus for you.

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Glynda sighs, after searching the campus for half an hour, you're nowhere to be found; the ballroom, around the CCT tower, the Hall of the Fallen, nowhere. Maybe she will have to search for you in Vale; she doesn't really want to run around the city on a wild goose chase for you, mainly because she doesn't know where you're staying. Oh well, she only has one place to check before it comes to that: the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest.

"I don't believe this..." she shakes her head as she approaches the cliff.

There you were, lying on the grass, fast asleep. Glynda pulls out her crop and uses her Semblance to lift you up a bit before dropping you, waking you up.

"Ow! Hey what's the big idea?!" you shout looking around.

"The big idea..." she starts. "Is that you haven't been accounted for yet Mister... Goodwitch. Why weren't you in the Amphitheatre?"

You raise your eyebrow at her hesitating at your last name, but you ignore it for now.

"The... what?" you scratch your head.

"Amphitheatre!" she pinches the bridge of her nose with her free hand, sighing deeply. "Didn't you hear my welcoming announcement?"

"Oh! I thought that voice sounded familiar!" you smack your hand on your head. "Sorry, it was kind of hard to hear with all the wind." you chuckle.

"Wind?" she raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah; see, I was on top of the airship and-"

"That was you?!"

"Well I missed the airship and-"

She grips your shoulders, looking at you up and down, her face filled with worry.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"Nah I'm just fine, obviously."

"Good." she confirms... before smacking you on the head with her crop.

"Ow! Why?!" you yelp holding the spot she hit you.

"What if you had fallen off?! You could've been seriously hurt!"

"Eh." you shrug. "I would've thought of something."

Glynda sighs, rubbing her temple with her free hand.

"Just... be more careful in the future... please." she pleads.

"No promises." you snicker.

"Well, the other first-year students are gathering in the ballroom for tonight. Initiation is in the morning, so please be sure you're ready."

"Ugh, is _everything_ in the morning?" you slouch.

"Yes, and I expect you to be there; otherwise... you'll have to deal with me." she threatens.

You shudder at the thought.

"Morning, got it." you say before hastily grabbing your things and running off.

"And if you don't know where to go, please ask someone!" she yells after you.

You only give a thumbs up as you keep running; Glynda sighs and lets a small smile form on her face, the memories flooding back. She turns to the Emerald Forest, a gentle breeze swaying the leaves on the trees.

 _'He really is just like you...Rhea.'_

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 _Glynda can barely contain her excitement; she was at Beacon Academy! Who wouldn't be excited? Looking around she could see Human and Faunus alike, embarking on their journey to become full-fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses. Her attention turns to the stage as two men are walking onto the stage. One she recognizes as Professor Ozpin, the other she didn't, his hair slicked back and shining in the light. He wore a dark blue pinstripe suit with a bright yellow undershirt and a blue and gold striped tie; on his feet he didn't wear dress shoes, instead opting for bright yellow sneakers. What stood out about him the most was the fact that he barely looked older than any of the students here, but she pushed that to the back of her mind for now as Ozpin walked up to the microphone and began to speak._

 _"I'll keep this brief-"_

 _He's interrupted by the doors slamming open with a young blonde woman standing there, her hair disheveled and matted down by a bit of sweat. She quickly regains her composure, fixing her hair and clothes: a skintight black jumpsuit with two purple lines running down the right side. It was unzipped a bit at the top, showing some cleavage; around her neck was a dark purple scarf that reached halfway down her back. On her feet were black heeled boots with purple stars on the sides, and attached to her back was a large sabre, the golden hilt shining in the light attached by a purple belt around her waist extending out horizontally. She coolly walks her way down the aisle, smirking the whole way; all eyes were on her, just the way she liked it._

 _"Don't worry, Rhea Goodwitch is here!" she announces. "Couldn't find my way is all; like, what is an Amphitheatre anyway?"_

 _Her green eyes scan the room and, finding Glynda, she waves excitedly, walking over to her._

 _"Heeeey Glyndaaaa!"_

 _"I don't know her..." she facepalms, and sinks into her seat._

 _"I never thought that I'd hear such words... from my own sister no less! I'm heartbroken!" she laments overdramatically, covering her eyes with her forearm._

 _"Please stop, you're making a scene!" Glynda pleads._

 _"Sis, making a scene is what I'm best at! You know this!" Rhea argues. "Remember the airship?"_

 _"Ugh, don't remind me..."_

 _"Well, at least I caught him is all I'm saying."_

 _"Excuse me." the man next to Ozpin speaks, gritting his teeth. "May we please continue?"_

 _Rhea quickly takes a seat next to Glynda, rubbing the back of her head._

 _"Hehe... sorry."_

 _"You should be; this isn't a playground, it's a Huntsman Academy, so please treat it as such." he reprimands._

 _"Now Jakob, go easy on her. Besides, I admire her spirit." Ozpin smiles._

 _Jakob rolls his eyes as Rhea victoriously sticks her tongue out at him, with Glynda facepalming once again._

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Glynda feels a tear roll down her face at recalling her sister's antics. Wherever she was, she hopes she's safe.

"So... you found him." she hears Ozpin comment from behind her.

"Oh... yes I did... he-he's just like his mother." she quickly wipes her eyes of any tears. "Lazy, irresponsible, opinionated, reckless..." she trails off, more tears threatening to fall.

"Glynda... you don't have to hide the fact that you miss her. Not from me." he assures.

"I... I know... but she made her choice, and I have to live with that."

"Glynda..."

"It's fine Ozpin, really."

"Very well. Just know that you'll need to talk to him about it eventually."

"I know. I'll... get to it."

"Good. Now then, I'll leave you to your thoughts."

With that Ozpin takes his leave and Glynda turns back to the forest, you and Rhea in her thoughts. How was she going to tell you about your mother? That was a question she didn't know how to answer, not yet at least; all she knows is that it's a conversation that she isn't looking forward to having.

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You were walking around the hallways of Beacon, taking note of the multitude of students walking around and conversing. Your thoughts turn to Glynda, and why she was so concerned for your safety. It is her job after all, she is a teacher here, she has to be concerned for the students; but how she reacted to you made her almost seem... motherly. You push it to the back of your mind for now, as you're trying to find the ballroom.

"Come on, where is it?" you groan frustrated. "Are signs _really_ too much to ask?"

"Hey (Y/n)!" a young voice calls out.

You turn around to see the silver-eyed girl from a few days ago... Ruby was her name you think, smiling and waving at you, standing next to... her; the blonde from the club...Yang. They start walking towards you and you drop your bag and get into a stance, hands on Onyx Rose and legs spread, eyes locked on the blonde. When they reach you, Ruby looks at you confused, while Yang is nonplussed.

"Uh... (Y/n)?" Ruby asks, concerned. "Are you okay?"

 _"Ruby..."_ you whisper, eyes still locked on Yang. " _Step away from that blonde haired menace."_

Ruby leans over to Yang, squinting her eyes at you.

 _"Yang, what did you do to him?"_ she whispers.

"Oh, well remember that night at the club and I said I was fighting someone?" Ruby nods. "Well there he is." she says pointing at you.

Ruby steps in front of you, waving her arms frantically.

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, stop! (Y/n), this is my sister Yang!"

The tension in your body immediately drops.

"Sister?"

"Well half-sister; and she's really sorry about beating you up." she pleads. "Right Yang?"

Yang walks past her sister, extending her hand.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was trying to find someone and... things got a bit out of hand."

"You're telling me." you shake her hand. "My face still kinda hurts though."

"She's really, really, really, really, reeeallly sorry! Please don't be mad!"

You snicker.

"Don't worry Ruby, I'm just messing around. Consider this a fresh start."

"Yeah, fresh start." Yang confirms. "I promise to leave a better impression on you."

"As long as that impression isn't in any walls." you snicker.

"Oh, you think you're cute don't you?" Yang laughs.

"Not as cute as you." you wink.

Yang can feel her cheeks heat up again; that's twice now you've made her blush, something that she thought was impossible, or at least very hard to do. Even if you were just teasing, there's something about you, something she can't quite put her finger on, but you're... different; she can tell.

"Uh, Yang? Can I have my hand back?"

She looks down to see that she was indeed still holding your hand. She wasn't trying to on purpose mind you, but a tiny part of her didn't want to let go.

"Oh, sorry. Spaced out there for a second."

"Hmmm... maybe you are related after all." you comment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the girls question at the same time.

"Oh, nothing." you wave off. "Now then, can you help me find the ballroom? I'm... kinda lost."

"Oh sure! It's right this way." Ruby grabs your arm and starts pulling you away.

"H-hey wait a second! My bag!" you interject.

"Don't worry, I got it!" Yang yells running after you and her sister.

Meanwhile, around the corner, someone was listening in on your conversation: a young girl, dressed mostly in black; with a bit of white and purple accents, wearing a black bow on her head. Her amber eyes were filled with worry, as a bead of sweat drops down her face.

"There's no way... why is _he_ here?"

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 **Another chapter down! It's a shorter one I know, and I apologize for that, but I think I hit all the points I wanted to: a bit more characterization for Azul and Amari, you establishing a friendship and rivalry with Pyrrha, more moments between you and Glynda, introducing Rhea and Jakob... wonder who he is, the beginnings of Yang developing feelings for you... or not, who knows and you having some sort of past with Blake; more on that next chapter. As usual, tell me what you think and I'll see you next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4 Initiation

**4\. Initiation**

You, Ruby and Yang were walking down the hallway to the ballroom, passing plenty of students on the way. You feel... odd, like someone is watching you, but you ignore it for now and keep walking.

"Hey Ruby?"

"Yeah?" she smiles at you.

"I... wanted to apologize for the other night. I didn't mean to just leave you alone like that; I just do it sometimes you know?" you admit.

"Oh it's alright (Y/n), I just-" she stops herself, a devious smile forming on her face. "Well...if you _really_ want to apologize... can I see your weapon?"

"Ruby..." Yang scolds.

"Hey, it's no problem." you assure as you hand Onyx Rose to Ruby.

"It's pretty light." she comments, weighing it in her hands.

"Yeah, it's a pretty simple blade; not a lot of bells, whistles or... gun barrels." you explain. "I mean seriously, does _everything_ have to be a gun?"

"Well if it isn't also a gun, what makes it so special?" Ruby asks, curious.

"Unsheathe it and see." you instruct.

Ruby does as you instruct and pulls the blade from the its sheathe, her silver eyes meeting the black metal. She fully pulls the katana from the sheath and hands it to you, her eyes glued to the blade; she takes in everything down to the minute detail. The craftsmanship of the blade was superb; she could tell it was strong and sturdy, if taken care of properly. She raises an eyebrow at the runes running down both sides of the blade, deciding to ask you about it.

"Hey (Y/n)? What're these shapes for?"

"The runes? They help me activate the blade. I grip the handle and concentrate my Aura into the blade, letting me change its shape." you explain.

"Oooh... can you show me? Please?" she begs.

"Ruby." Yang interjects. "This isn't the time or place to do that."

"Aww come on Yang, (Y/n) doesn't mind... do you?"

"Actually, I agree with your sister on this. You'll see what Onyx Rose can do eventually." you say taking your sword back from Ruby and sheathing it.

"Oh... okay. Well, as long as we're showing off weapons, maybe I can show you Crescent Rose."

"You mean that giant scythe?"

"Yeah, it's really cool! I made it myself! It's also not just a scythe; it's a collapsible, high-impact sniper rifle. It's red and black and soooo cooool; hang on, let me go get it!" Ruby excitedly rambles before trying to run off, Yang grabbing her by her hood to stop her.

"Ruby, we're showing (Y/n) to the ballroom remember?" she reminds.

"Oh yeah... sorry." she sheepishly giggles.

Yang sighs, turning to you.

"Sorry (Y/n); as you can see, my sister's _sword_ of a weapons freak." she jokes.

"Ugh Yang, please no puns." Ruby facepalms.

"What? I thought it was pretty-"

She's cut off by someone's raucous laughter behind her. She turns herself and Ruby around, to see you leaning against the wall, doubled over holding your stomach, laughing your butt off.

"Sword... weapon... amazing..." you gasp between laughs.

Yang smiles, finally someone who appreciated her genius.

 _'I knew there was something about you.'_ she thinks.

"(Y/n)... not you too." Ruby laments.

"What? Are you telling me Yang and I should... put an _axe_ in it?" Ruby groans while you and Yang burst out laughing.

"Please stop..."

"Okay, okay. Tell you what sis, let's... _bury the hatchet_."

You and Yang are losing it at this point; you on the floor and Yang letting Ruby go in order to hold her sides. Sure people were starting to stare at the two of you, but you didn't care, you were having fun.

"Grrr... one day I'll end your reign of terrible, evil puns!" Ruby yells as she speeds off with her Semblance.

"Ruby... wait..." Yang pleads between laughs, but she was already gone.

"Well Yang, I guess you'd better... _spearhead_ a campaign to find your sister." you joke, getting up off the floor.

Yang stifles another laugh, calming down before speaking again.

"Man (Y/n), if I had known you were so funny, I wouldn't have whooped your butt."

"Ah yes, it's how I'll defeat all my enemies; one mighty _pun_ -ch." you joke holding your fist up.

You and Yang share one last laugh before she starts walking away.

"Well if you'll excuse me, I have one hyperactive sister to find."

"It's been nice reconnecting with you Yang." you say honestly.

"Yeah, hopefully we'll be spending more time together." she winks.

"Oh, you better believe it hot stuff." you wink back.

You wave as Yang walks away, and you swear you can hear her mutter something as she turns the corner, a small blush on her face.

"Damnit, not again..."

Once she's completely around the corner, your demeanor changes completely; your smile drops and you look around, scanning the area.

"Alright, you may as well come out now." you say to your stalker.

An amber eyed girl with a black bow on her head steps out from a corner behind you, cautiously walking towards you. You turn around, your face twisting into one of pure disdain as you recognize who it is.

"What are you doing here?" she finally speaks.

"I could ask you the same thing, murderer."

"I didn't kill anyone." she defends. "That was...him."

"Yeah, while you stood there and watched!"

She looks down, thinking of what to say.

"I'm not proud of what happened; but if it's any consolation, I'm not with the White Fang anymore."

Your face softens a bit, though you're still glaring at her.

"Is that so? Okay then, I'll believe you."

"R-really?" she asks in disbelief.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I forgive you for what happened." you interject. "And I'll be keeping an eye on you. If the White Fang start storming the place, I'm coming after you first." you threaten, pointing at her.

"O-of course, I understand." she nods and begins to walk past you.

"What's your name?" you ask as she reaches you.

"Blake."

"Alright then Blake, hopefully I won't have to hurt you."

"Yeah... and for what it's worth... I'm sorry." she says genuinely.

"I'll accept your apology when you've earned it."

She only nods as she walks past you, leaving you to your thoughts. You lean up against the wall, contemplating about what to do.

 _'Hmm...should I tell Ozpin about this? Well, if Blake's already here, he most likely does know.'_ you rationalize. _'Worse come to worse, he's the Headmaster, so he would take care of it right?'_

You sigh as you push off the wall, picking up your bag and trudging along the hallway. You abruptly stop, your eyes widening in realization.

"Wait... I still don't know where the ballroom is! Gah, you know what? I'm just checking every room until I find it!" you shout, finally taking matters into your own hands.

"Um... e-excuse me?" you hear a small voice behind you.

You turn to see a dark-skinned girl standing there, her grey eyes looking at you behind her rectangular, purple-rimmed glasses. She had light purple, shoulder length hair, her bangs hanging in front of her forehead stopping right above her glasses. She wore a long-sleeved white button up shirt with a purple tie around her neck with music notes running down it. She wears a purple plaid skirt that stopped above her knees with a black belt wrapped around her waist, a golden eighth note at the front. She finishes with white knee-high socks with black shoes.

"Y-you wanted to find the b-ballroom?"

You nod.

"Yeah I do; just point me in the right direction and I'll find it... eventually."

"Oh... w-well you see the ballroom isn't in this building." she explains. "T-this is the main building, where the classrooms, library and c-cafeteria are."

"Then where's the ballroom?"

"I-it's in the building adjacent to this one, with the t-training arena, locker room, gym and forge. I-I can show you there... i-if you want." she offers.

"Nah." you wave off. "I absolutely _love_ being lost not knowing where to go."

"Oh... w-well, I-I see..." she looks down, dejected.

You laugh waving your hands.

"Hey now, I was just joking." you clarify.

"Ah... r-right... people do that."

"You... are kinda weird." you mutter scratching your head.

"W-was that a j-joke too?"

"Uh... yes, yes it was. Now to the ballroom!"

"R-right, f-follow me." she walks off and you follow her.

"So, you seemed to know the layout of this place pretty well." you compliment.

"O-oh of course. A-after all, I did m-memorize the layout of the school b-before coming here."

"Wow, really?" you ask genuinely impressed.

"I-it was nothing r-really. It's relatively easy for me, I-I've always been good at that k-kind of thing."

"Well, it's still impressive; I mean I wish I could do something like that."

She smiles.

"I-I'm glad someone th-thinks so..." she mutters.

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The two of you soon reach a pair of double doors with two golden handles positioned symmetrically on the door.

"W-well... here we are."

You grab the handles, twist them and push the doors open; you're greeted with a large but relatively empty room, a few makeshift beds lying on the wooded floor. You can see a large, ornate chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Some of the students have already settled in; some boys and girls flirting with each other already. You shake your head as you walk in, teenagers will be teenagers you suppose; you walk over to the wall, taking a seat with your back to it. You turn your head and notice the girl had followed you in, looking around somewhat nervously.

"Thanks for showing me to the ballroom, and not abandoning me halfway through."

"W-why would I ab-bandon you?" she asks, still looking around.

"Well... it's a long story; don't worry about it."

"Oh... w-well m-may I join you? I-if you don't m-mind." she asks hopefully.

"Sure. I don't see why not." you smile as you clear a spot next to you.

She gives a small smile as she takes a seat next to you, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"So what's your name?"

Oh... uh... O-O-Orchid Y-Y-Young." she stammers.

"That's a nice name." you smile.

"Y-you r-really think so?" she timidly asks.

"Sure, I mean it matches the color scheme that you've got going on there."

"O-oh... I s-suppose so huh? I n-never really noticed."

 _'I'm guessing a lot of people don't notice.'_ you think. "My name's (Y/n) nice to meet'cha."

"Y-yes, a pleasure to m-make your acquaintance." she smiles.

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As the day winds down, more and more people start to filter into the ballroom, you notice Orchid's eyes darting around the room.

"Hey Orchid, you okay?"

"O-oh I'm f-fine... there's j-just a l-lot of p-people coming in. S-so m-much n-noise." she groans holding her hands over her ears.

"Noise?"

"I-it's a s-side effect of m-my S-Semblance. I-I'm a lot m-more sensitive to s-sounds than m-most people."

"Ah I see. I suspect you can use that to your advantage too?"

"O-of course, practically no one can s-sneak up on me." she proudly states, taking her hands off her ears.

"It also explains why you speak so softly. Don't want to get overwhelmed by your own voice." you joke.

"Y-yeah, that would be p-pretty lame."

You both share a small laugh, after which there's a few moments of silence between you two before Orchid speaks again.

"Y-you know (Y-Y/n), you're the f-first person that I've talked to for this long." she admits. "M-most people think I'm c-creepy or w-weird or a know-it-all... b-but you actually gave me a chance."

You smile.

"Well, I like to think that everyone deserves a chance, though that has bit me in the butt a few times. But you don't seem so bad."

"W-well, I appreciate it e-either way." she smiles.

You yawn then stretch a little.

"Since the day's winding down, mind showing me to the locker room?"

"Ah y-yes... I have to get changed as well."

You and Orchid get up and she leads you out the door and around a few corners to the locker room. You absentmindedly try to go through the door as someone was coming out, causing you to crash into them, knocking them to the floor.

"Ouch! Watch it!" a feminine voice shrieks.

You look down at the person you knocked over: it was a girl; her long, snow-white hair sprawled on the ground. She had bright blue eyes and fair pale skin, the only blemish being a scar running down her left eye.

"Oh, sorry about that." you smile, extending your hand out to try to help her up.

She immediately smacks your hand away and gets up, brushing off her light blue nightgown.

"Why don't you watch where you're going you clumsy dolt!" she yells, wagging her finger in your face.

You push her finger out of your face.

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" you say irritated.

"You should be! This isn't some playground you know!" she yells again, placing her hands on her hips.

"P-p-please stop yelling." Orchid laments covering her ears.

"OH I'M SORRY!" the girl deliberately yells louder. "AM I BEING TOO LOUD FOR YOU?!"

Orchid covers her ears harder and clasps her eyes shut, shaking a bit. You had enough and move between her and the white-haired witch.

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

The girl looks like she was about to say something, but stopped herself.

"You know what, I don't have time for this; I have to get some sleep." she condescendingly says, pushing her way past you and Orchid. "Out of my way."

"Sheesh, what a bitch." you mutter.

"I-I concur, though I w-wouldn't use such c-crude language."

"Oh right, you could hear that." you rub the back of your head. "Anyway, you okay?"

"Y-yes I'm f-fine." she confirms. "Th-thank you for d-defending me (Y/n)."

"It's no problem Orchid. I always defend my friends." you smile.

"F-f-friend?"

"Yeah, why not? Now then, I have to get changed; I'm getting sleepy."

You walk into the locker room to get changed, leaving Orchid behind, her looking at her feet.

 _'Friend...'_ she smiles at the thought, walking into the locker room.

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Orchid steps out of the locker room in her pajamas: a grey t-shirt with an eighth note in the middle of the chest with purple bottoms. She sees you leaning on the wall opposite the room, in a simple black t-shirt with dark green shorts, a pillow and blanket in your hands.

"Oh... y-you waited for me."

"Of course I did; come on, let's get a spot."

You grab her hand and drag her to the ballroom; more people made themselves at home, conversing with one another. You notice Orchid's eyes darting around the room, her face turning sour.

"Hey Orchid."

She snaps out of her stupor and notices you wrapped your arm around hers.

"Don't focus on them, focus on me." you advise.

She does as you advise and focuses on you. The noise in her mind seems to die down as her eyes lock onto yours.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, I think I am." she smiles.

"Hey (Y/n)!"

You both turn your heads to find the source of the voice: a familiar blonde and her sister waving at you.

"F-friends of yours?"

"Something like that. Come on I'll introduce you."

Orchid nodded timidly, nervous about meeting new people, but as long as you were with her, she felt... calm. It was indescribable, but she did. You and her take a seat across from Ruby and Yang, smiling.

"Ladies." you greet.

"Who's your friend?" Ruby asks cheerfully.

You nudge Orchid to get her to speak.

"O-Orchid Y-Young. N-nice to meet you."

"Hi! I'm Ruby and this is my sister Yang."

"Yo." Yang greets. "So (Y/n), you found the ballroom." she jokes.

"Yeah, no thanks to either of you." you playfully pout.

"Uh...sorry about that (Y/n)." Ruby apologizes sheepishly.

"Yeah we're sorry... would a kiss make it up to you?" Yang flirts, leaning closer to you.

"A k-kiss? W-well I uh..." you stutter, cheeks red.

"Haha yes! I finally got you!" Yang cheers, a giant smile on her face.

"G-got you?" Orchid asks confused.

"Yeah, we've been having a little back and forth since we met." you explain.

"Yeah, I've been trying to get him to blush like he did to me." Yang explains further.

"Well you started it!" you accuse.

"Hey I didn't expect you to turn it on me like you did. Most guys usually can't handle it."

"Well, I'm not most guys." you proudly state.

 _'No (Y/n). No you aren't.'_ she thinks to herself, smiling.

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As the night progressed, the four of you were talking, laughing and sharing stories; even Orchid was laughing a bit, albeit not too loudly.

"So... that explosion...was you?" you laugh.

"Yeah... it was. But I apologized and now we're best friends!" Ruby assures holding a thumbs up.

"R-really?" Orchid inquires.

Her head drops.

"No... not at all..." she dejectedly sighs.

"Don't worry Ruby, I too have met the wrath of that harpy." you say comforting Ruby.

"Well look at it this way sis." Yang starts. "You really started the year off..."

"Oh please no..." Ruby sighs covering her face.

"WITH A BANG!" you and Yang yell.

You and Yang look at each other for a second before bursting out laughing, even Orchid let out a small giggle.

"Um... excuse me." a new voice deadpans.

You all look at the source and you see Blake standing there in a black yukata, bow still on her head, holding a small candelabra in one hand and a book in the other.

"Would you mind keeping it down, I'm trying to read."

"Oh sorry..." Ruby whisper shouts.

Blake nods and walks back to the corner of the room she was sitting. Your eyes never leave her, following the Faunus the whole way back.

"Heeelllooo? Remnant to (Y/n)." Yang waves her hand in front of your face. "You alright? You were staring at that girl."

"Oh was I? Sorry about that." you yawn. "And on that note, I'll be going to sleep."

"Oh okay, bye (Y/n), bye Orchid!" Ruby whisper shouts while Yang simply waves.

You get up and motion for Orchid to follow you, leaving Yang and Ruby to their devices. You, feeling cheeky, you quickly run up and peck Yang on the cheek; leaving her as red as Ruby's hair.

 _"That's four."_ you whisper to her before you run off.

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You awake with a start looking around the room; it was still full, everyone still sleeping. You lay back and try to go back to sleep... but you couldn't. You sigh, getting up and picking up the blanket and pillow off the floor.

"Well, I'm already up." you mutter, leaving the room. "May as well get changed."

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You step out of the locker room, fully dressed and Onyx Rose in your hand.

"Now... where do I go?" you ask yourself.

"T-to the cliff overlooking the E-Emerald Forest."

You turn your head and see Orchid, still in her pajamas, a small smile on her face.

"Finally! I actually know where that is!" you exclaim.

"And y-you'd p-probably still find a way to g-get lost." Orchid giggles.

Your eyes widen in delight.

"Orchid... was that a joke?" you smile.

"Oh... I-I didn't m-mean it. I... uh... w-well-" you stop her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax. I'm actually impressed." you compliment. "It was a good one too."

"R-really?" she smiles.

"Yup. Anyway, I'll see you there." you wave and run off.

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You reach the cliff to see Ozpin and Glynda standing near the edge of the cliff in front of the springboards; Glynda typing away on a tablet and Ozpin looking out to the forest, mug and cane in hand. You clear your throat to gain their attention and they both look at you, Ozpin merely smiles at you while Glynda is genuinely surprised.

"(Y/n), you're actually early."

You shrug.

"Eh, I woke up early and thought I may as well get this initiation over with. So let's do this."

"Apologies (Y/n)." Ozpin says stepping toward you. "But, you're going to have to wait for your fellow students."

"What? B-but-"

"No buts (Y/n)." Glynda scolds. "While I appreciate you arriving early, you'll have to wait."

You groan, falling backwards onto the soft grass putting your hands behind your head and closing your eyes.

"Man... this is the last time I wake up early." you mutter.

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A small commotion wakes you up; you sit up and turn your head and see the ensemble of fellow first-years. Ruby, Yang, Blake, Orchid, Pyrrha and the white-haired girl you recognize; the others you don't. A blonde boy in white and gold armor, a ginger-haired girl bouncing around with an... interesting look in her eyes, next to her was a boy in green with black hair, a magenta strand hanging in front of his face, seemingly trying to calm the ginger down, and a boy with reddish-brown hair in grey armor with a golden bird emblazoned on the chest piece; there were others, but they didn't seem that important. They all had their weapons with them, except Orchid who appeared to be carrying a small silver rectangular briefcase, a dark purple heart with a treble cleft in it, music scales and notes flowing through it. You smirk, deciding to stand up and greet your fellow students.

"Finally! Do you know how long I've been waiting here?"

"A-about one hour and t-ten minutes." Orchid answers.

Your face drops.

"Thank you Orchid." you deadpan.

"Not a p-problem." she smiles. "W-wait, you were joking w-weren't you?"

You solemnly nod.

"Ugh, out of my way!" the white haired girl yells pushing her way past everyone.

You roll your eyes as everyone gets into position on the springboards. Ozpin and Glynda step forward to address everyone.

"Now then." Glynda starts. "Some of you may have heard rumors about teams; however, those are just that, rumors."

"Indeed." Ozpin chimes in. "You will be put into teams... today."

"WHAT?!" you hear Ruby scream.

"You shall all be sent into the Emerald Forest to find the temple, retrieve a relic and return here with it." Ozpin explains. "The teams will be dependent on the relics you gather, so choose carefully."

"Also, the first person you lock eyes with while in the forest will be your partner for your four years here at Beacon." Glynda adds. "If you fail to find a partner and retrieve a relic, you will be expelled."

You notice that Ruby is sweating bullets at this point. You inwardly chuckle, but then you notice Orchid shaking a bit. You, being right next to her, you nudge her; she looks to you and you give her a smile and thumbs up, trying to reassure her. It seems to work, as she looks ahead, a newfound resolve in her eyes.

"Now then, any questions?" Ozpin asks as he slyly looks to Glynda, as she begins to type on her tablet.

"U-um yeah... uh sir?" the blonde boy stutters. "H-how exactly will we be getting to the forest?" he asks as students were being launched.

"You will be flying in." Ozpin answers as more students are launched. "I suggest you develop a landing strategy as soon as possible."

"Uh right, landing strategyyyy!" and he's sent flying.

You snicker and take one last at Orchid before she's launched.

"Hey Orchid, good luck."

"Th-thank you (Y/n), y-you too." she smiles before she's launched.

"Looks like I'm up." you state. "Oh wait I think I left the oven oooon!" you joke before you're launched.

"This is a very... interesting group this year." Ozpin chuckles.

"You say that every year." Glynda says, not looking up from her tablet.

"That's because it's true every year." he smiles, taking a sip from his mug.

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"Whooohooo!"

You fly through the air, arms outstretched. You were loving it, the adrenaline pumping through your veins; but alas, all good things must come to an end, as you unsheathe Onyx Rose and extend it outward, it piercing through some trees before it hits the ground, making it stop. You retract your sword and fall to the ground, making a small crater in the ground.

"Gah... that is murder on the legs." you groan before you run off.

"Okay gotta find the temple, grab a relic, and find a partner." you list off.

You keep running until you bump into someone, knocking them down. You take a look at who it was: the white-haired girl from earlier. She looks up and you lock eyes with her.

"Not you again!" you both yell.

You hear a rustling in the bushes behind the girl; you ready your sword to defend yourself, but Ruby comes running out, stopping to catch her breath.

"Wait... up... Weiss..." she pants.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?"

"Oh... hey (Y/n)... Weiss is... my partner."

"She is? I'm so sorry."

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!" Weiss exclaims.

"What do you think it means you rude little-"

"Okay okay, let's just take it easy!" Ruby interjects getting in between you two. "(Y/n) since you don't have a partner yet, you can follow us... if you want."

"Well, as long as you're here, sure." you half smile.

"Alright! Onward team!" she cheers and points forward, while Weiss rolls her eyes.

" _You_ don't get to tell me what to do." Weiss comments walking past Ruby.

The two of you roll your eyes and follow her.

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You and Ruby were following behind Weiss, who was leading the way. Weiss abruptly stops and looks around the area, somewhat confused.

"Hmm... this way." she points in a random direction.

"Do you even know where we're going?" you ask.

"Of course I do!" she snaps.

 _"She has no idea."_ Ruby whispers.

"Will you two please be quiet?!" Weiss yells. "I'm trying to focus!"

"Focus on what, being lost?" you snicker.

"Listen you-"

"Wait shh... do you hear that?"

"Don't you shush mmmrph!" Weiss begins to yell, but Ruby covers her mouth with her hands.

You concentrate and as you do, you hear the telltale sounds of someone yelling out in pain.

"You heard that right? Someone's in trouble."

Weiss manages to wrench herself away from Ruby.

"So?"

"So?! We have to help them!"

"No, we don't; we have an objective to complete. If they get hurt, they get hurt; we don't have time to worry about every single person." Weiss argues.

"Alright fine! I'll help them myself!" you run off.

"(Y/n) wait!" Ruby yells after you, but you're already gone.

Ruby sighs.

"Weiss, why would you say that?"

"Because it's true. You can't help everyone at once; if you try, you're going to end up getting hurt. If he wants to go and possibly die helping someone, let him. I say good riddance." Weiss lectures walking away. "Come on."

Ruby looks down at the ground before following Weiss, her mind plagued with worry.

 _'(Y/n)... be careful.'_

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Orchid pants heavily, case on hand, sweat running down her face as four Beowolves stare her down. There were originally more of them, but she managed to take down two; not without some difficulty of course, as she wasn't really built for fighting, but more of a support role. The Beowolves circle around her, their red eyes locked on to her; they stop and one pounces, seeing an opening. Orchid braces herself for impact, but it never comes; she opens her eyes and sees you standing on top of it, the heel of your foot keeping its head down.

"Easy there boy." you joke before you unsheathe your sword and impale it in the head, killing it. "Bad dog."

The Beowolf dissipates and you walk over to Orchid, who's on her knees panting.

"You alright?"

"Y-y-yes... thank you... (Y/n)."

"No problem; now then, who's next?"

You point towards the Beowolves, challenging them. One growls at you before pouncing, leaving the other two behind. You smirk and extend Onyx Rose outward, piercing the beast through the mouth and out its back. It squirms a bit before you hoist your sword high into the air and slam the Beowolf down on the ground. As it dissipates, you retract your sword.

"Next." you say darkly.

The remaining Beowolves glance at each other before backing off into the forest. You release the tension in your body and turn back to Orchid and help her up.

"Guess we're partners now." you comment.

"I-it seems so."

"So... you wouldn't happen to know where the temple is do you?" you ask hopefully.

"N-no, sorry."

"Hmm... well, how about you listen for it?"

"H-huh?"

"The side effect of your Semblance; if you can hear people as we walk, we'll know we're going the right direction." you explain.

"O-oh. Th-that's actually pretty smart."

"Don't sound so surprised; I have good ideas... sometimes. Now, lead the way!"

Orchid smiles and nods as she takes the lead; you follow, going deeper into the forest.

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"Ugh, are we there yet?" you complain.

"S-sorry (Y/n). I've only b-been hearing the occasional scream or n-noises from the Grimm." Orchid apologizes.

"Eh, it's alright." you wave off. "It'll take as long as it needs to."

Orchid's hearing picks up a commotion to the east; she stops and concentrates on it, only to be met with a loud scream.

 _'RUBY!'_

"(Y/n)! Th-this way!" Orchid runs off and you follow.

After running for a moment, you come to a clearing, seeing a Deathstalker struggling to free its stinger from a block of ice. You look to the left and see what looks like the remains of a temple, with some sort of pedestals in front of it. You also see a group of teens in front of the temple as well; you run over to them with Orchid in tow.

"Hey gang! Did I miss the butt whoopin'?"

"Nope!" the ginger girl replies, a massive grin on her face. "It's just about to begin!"

"Nora!" the boy in green shouts. "I don't think we have time for this."

He points to the sky at a Nevermore circling overhead; as everyone looks up at it, the Deathstalker breaks its stinger from its icy prison.

"Oh great." the blonde boy laments.

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's hightail it outta here!" Yang suggests.

"Run and live, an idea I can get behind."

As everyone runs off, you and Orchid stay behind to get your relics, seeing the Deathstalker and Nevermore chase after them.

"You guys coming?!" Yang shouts behind her.

"We need our relics first! We'll catch up!"

She gives a thumbs up as confirmation and disappears in the horizon. You turn back to the temple and notice that the so-called 'relics' were in fact chess pieces; and that there were only two left: a white and a black queen piece. You take the black one and walk over to Orchid to give her the white one.

"Not really sure I get it, but I won't complain. Here."

You try to hand it to her, but you see she's shaking in fear, focused on the tree line behind you.

"What's wrong?"

"S-something's c-coming, something b-big."

Your attention turns to the forest, the sound of trees being felled in the distance. The sound gets closer and closer until a large figure bursts from the trees, prompting you and Orchid to dive out of the way of it. The beast was twice the size of a regular Beowolf, with two wolf heads clad in bony armor, with bone spikes running down its spine and assorted bone spikes around its body.

"What the hell is that?!"

"I-I've heard s-stories about this... a m-mutation in the Beowolf line, s-stronger and f-faster than a regular one. They c-call it a Demi-Cerberus."

"Well whatever it is, it's going down! Orchid get back to the others, I got this."

"N-no! I'm your partner and I-I'm staying!" she says with resolve.

You sigh, not wanting to argue with her and get into a stance.

"Alright, but you better not slow me down!"

You leap into action, literally, as the Demi-Cerberus rushes at you; you jump over the beast's swipe, landing on its back. You try to stab it in its back while it tries to shake you off; you land a hit, stabbing the hide of the beast. It howls in pain for a second until it extends the spikes on its back, shooting you off. You land and roll on the ground a bit before you stop yourself. The Demi-Cerberus turns to Orchid and charges at her, snarling; she dodges and knocks her case on one of the heads as it runs into the pedestals in front of the temple. Orchid then runs over to you to check on your condition.

"A-are you a-alright."

"Yeah, I'm good." you stand and brush yourself off. "But damn, that thing is tough. Any ideas?"

"J-just one." she responds, kneeling down and opening her case.

You raise an eyebrow as she pulls out a flute with a bright and shiny silver finish. She then pulls out a fire Dust crystal and slides it into a compartment in the flute, closing it and twisting the flute into place; it ignites into a vibrant red color.

"What is that?"

"M-my weapon, V-Violet Melody."

"Your 'weapon' is a flute?!"

"I-it works better with my Semblance. J-just watch- or r-rather listen."

She brings the flute to her mouth and begins to play a soft but somehow powerful melody. It fills your very being, empowering you; you look at your body, a red aura pulsating around you.

"What?"

"I-I can use sound to affect things and p-people, and with d-different Dust crystals, it has d-different effects." Orchid explains. "F-fire crystals give an i-increase to strength."

You smirk, clenching your fist.

"I take it back, that's awesome."

The Demi-Cerberus frees itself from the rubble and turns, growling at you. You raise your sword, challenging it; it snarls and charges as you adopt a low stance, sheathing your sword. You concentrate the aura into your arm and run toward the beast. As soon as you're close enough, you quickly slash your sword as you both cross each other; you twirl with your sword with a flourish and sheathe it, the Demi-Cerberus falling apart as you finish, right down the middle.

"I've always wanted to do that."

You turn back to Orchid, who's already packed up her flute.

"N-nice job (Y/n)."

"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you." you shrug. "Oh, and before I forget... here." you hand her the white queen piece. "Come on, we should get back."

Orchid nods and you two run back the way the others went. As you do, a small spherical drone flies out from the trees and over to the now dissipating Demi-Cerberus.

"Hmm... another failure." a man's voice comments before the drone flies off.

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"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark." Ozpin lists off. "You four have gathered the four bishop pieces; thus you four shall be known as Team CRDL. Led by Cardin Winchester."

The audience claps as they are escorted off the stage and four more people take their place.

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren; you four have retrieved the rook pieces, therefore you shall be known as Team JNPR. Led by Jaune Arc."

"M-me?" Jaune asks confused.

"Congratulations Mister Arc." Ozpin smiles.

Pyrrha pats Jaune on the back as they walk off stage.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long; you four retrieved the knight pieces, therefore you shall be known as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose."

Weiss' face drops immediately; the childish, inexperienced Ruby was picked to be leader...over her?! She wanted to protest, but decided to grin and bear it...for now.

"I'm so proud of you sis!" Yang engulfs her sister in a hug.

"Can't... breathe..."

Ozpin clears his throat, signaling them to move off the stage.

"Last, but not least: (Y/n) Goodwitch and Orchid Young; you two retrieved the queen pieces, thus you two shall be on a team together and assist the other first year teams should they need it; if that's alright with you two."

You both nod and leave the stage, walking over to the others.

"Nice one (Y/n)! You too Orchid!" Ruby cheers.

"Pssh, it was nothing really." you scoff.

"W-well we did almost kind of d-die."

"Orchid, you're gonna have to learn to not sweat the details; only results matter."

"What if the result is you dying?" Ren questions.

"Damn, I never thought of that..." you admit.

Your reverie is interrupted by Glynda clearing her throat.

"If you'll excuse me, I shall show you to your dorms."

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Glynda leads you and Orchid to a door, pulls out a Scroll and holds it up to a scanner above the handle; a beep is heard, signaling the door is open. She opens the door and leads you two in; the room is relatively large, with four beds, a bathroom and even a television.

"This will be your room for the next four years. If any more new students arrive they'll be roomed with you, so don't get too comfortable." she explains handing you two some folded clothes. "These are your uniforms, I expect you to wear them every day."

"Ugh, uniforms." you groan.

"Every. Day (Y/n)." Glynda growls.

"Alright I got it."

"Also here are your Scrolls, use them to access your room, to take notes and contact other students and teachers. Also..." her demeanor darkens. "No funny business."

"O-of c-course not m-ma'am."

"Good." she smiles. "Welcome to Beacon you two."

You and Orchid immediately make yourselves at home, taking a bed and unpacking your things. You take off your jacket and lay on the bed, sighing.

"Oh wait."

You rummage through your bag and pull out a photo of your mother holding you as a baby. You stare at the photo for a bit, a tear escaping from your eye.

"Wh-who's that?"

You quickly wipe your face and place the photo on the nightstand next to the bed.

"It's my mom." you answer plainly.

"Oh. She m-must be proud of you."

You shrug.

"Not that I would know, she's been missing for two years and I've been looking for her."

"O-oh... I'm sorry."

You shrug again.

"It's not a problem really... anyway it's getting late, so let's get some rest." you yawn, lying back on your bed.

"O-okay... n-night (Y/n)."

"Night Orchid." you smile, closing your eyes and falling asleep.

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 **First of all, I apologize for this chapter being late. I had a bit of writer's block and couldn't get anything out, but here's a longer chapter that will hopefully compensate for the wait. I don't really have anything else to add, so I'll see you all next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5 To be a Leader

**5.** **To be a Leader**

 _ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

You shoot out of your bed, falling face-first onto the floor. You groan and sit up, grabbing your Scroll off of the nightstand and shutting off the alarm. You check the time, seeing that it says 8 o' clock.

"Why…?"

"O-oh (Y/n), y-you're awake."

You turn to see Orchid in her uniform with her belt around her waist and her musical tie around her neck.

"O-our first class starts at 9, s-so I took the liberty to set y-your alarm."

"Gee, thanks." you deadpan.

"Th-that's what t-teammates are for."

"I suppose so." you shrug. "Well, let me get ready."

You walk into the bathroom and before you close the door, you poke your head out.

"And no peeking." you tease.

"O-of c-course n-not." Orchid stutters, her face red.

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"Gah, stupid thing!" you groan.

You're standing in front of the full-length mirror in your room, huffing as your arms drop to your sides. Your uniform is on, albeit sloppily; your shirt wasn't tucked into your pants, and you had the sleeves of it and the jacket rolled up halfway up your arms.

"H-here, allow me." Orchid offers.

You stand still as she does up your tie, tightening it around your neck.

"Thank you."

"N-not a problem, though you should p-probably fix your u-uniform." she suggests.

"Hey, I'm wearing it aren't I?" you protest loosening your tie. "Come on, you lead the way."

Orchid nods, leading you out of the door to your dorm.

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The two of you enter the classroom and are greeted by a portly man in a double breasted burgundy suit with gold buttons wearing black trousers, his bushy grey moustache matching his hair.

"Why hello you two!" his voice booms throughout the classroom. "I'm Professor Port and I shall be your guide through the world of the Grimm! Here are your textbooks; take a seat, class is about to start."

You both take your seats, you in the seat closest to the aisle, with Orchid next to you. She cracks open her textbook and starts reading, fully engrossed in what she's reading.

"Ugh, what do these people have against sleep." you mutter yawning.

You prop your textbook up in front of your face and lay your head in your arms, closing your eyes. Minutes later, teams RWBY and JNPR burst through the door, panting.

"Nice of you to join us children." Professor Port says, tapping his foot. "You should take an example from Mister Goodwitch and Miss Young. Look at them, heads in their books and ready to learn!"

Both teams take their seats, JNPR in the front and RWBY choosing to sit on the same level as you and Orchid. As they go to their seats, they hear the telltale sounds of you snoring softly. Yang and Ruby giggle softly, Blake continues to her seat and Weiss gives an aggravated sigh.

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You were in the middle of a relatively pleasant dream… that is until a high pitched scream wakes you up.

' _STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!'_

You jolt awake, looking around the room.

"Wha? Huh?"

You bring your book down and see Weiss landing the killing blow on a Boarbatusk.

"Ohoho excellent!" Port cheers. "You Miss Schnee, have the makings of a true Huntress! In fact, this reminds me of-"

He's interrupted by the bell ringing. You immediately perk up, gather your things and turn to Orchid, who's still fully engrossed in the textbook.

"Yo Orchid." you nudge her.

"H-huh? W-what?"

"Class is over."

Orchid sheepishly rubs the back of her head.

"O-oh s-sorry."

"Don't sweat it." you assure, walking down the stairs to the door. "Was the book really that interesting?"

"O-oh definitely." Orchid smiles. "I-I've already read to c-chapter five."

"Wow… well I'm definitely coming to you for notes." you joke.

As you walk out of the door, you're met with a dejected Ruby and Weiss storming off.

"Hey Ruby, why the long face?"

"Well, Weiss just yelled at me for goofing off in class." she sighs. "She said that I didn't deserve to be leader and that Ozpin made a mistake."

You scoff.

"And how would she know? It's hasn't even been a day yet!"

"Y-yeah. Y-you may be young, b-but you're still the leader. O-Ozpin wouldn't have d-done so without a r-reason." Orchid adds.

"You really think so?" Ruby asks hopefully.

"You know it!" you cheerfully say, putting your arm around her. "Tell you what; we're going to help you become a better leader."

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course! It's our job to help you out after all, right Orchid?"

"O-oh… um yes. Y-you can c-count on us."

"Thanks you two." Ruby says gratefully before running off.

You smile, and then Orchid taps your shoulder.

"(Y-Y/n), how are w-we going to do that?"

You shrug.

"Don't know, but an opportunity will come up I'm sure. Now come on, we've got classes to attend."

"Th-that you'll p-probably sleep through." Orchid jokes.

"Hey I'm rested and ready to take on the day!" you excitedly shout grabbing  
Orchid's hand and run through the halls. "Let's go!"

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The sound of your snoring permeates throughout the cafeteria; your head was down on the table, a puddle of drool forming from your mouth. Blake, Ren, Jaune, Pyrrha and Orchid were quiet just eating their lunch; Ruby, Yang and Nora were quietly giggling at you, while Weiss was covering her ears.

"Can someone _please_ shut him up?!" Weiss pleads.

"I got it."

Yang leans over the table and gently picks up your head letting go, allowing it to drop the table. You immediately wake up, your head looking around the room.

"What happened?! Are we under attack?!"

"Nice of you to join us Sleeping Beauty." Yang jokes.

You yawn, immediately calming down seeing Yang's face.

"Oh... I fell asleep again didn't I?" you wipe the drool from your face.

"S-so much for b-being ready to t-take on the day." Orchid jokes.

"It's not my fault school is soooo boooring!" you whine.

"Then why are you even here?" Weiss asks sharply. "If you think it's so boring, then leave."

You cross your arms glaring at her.

"Look Princess, I have my own reasons for being here, like all of us right?"

"Yup!"

"You know it!"

"I suppose so."

"A-affirmative."

"Indeed."

"Ugh, whatever." Weiss goes back to eating her lunch.

A few minutes later, you notice that Jaune was looking down at his food, just playing with it, a somber look on his face.

"Hey Jaune, you alright?"

"Huh? O-oh yeah I'm just peachy." he gives a smile and thumbs up.

You all look at him incredulously, except Weiss who's more focused on her lunch.

"Uh... well... okay, I'm just kind of wondering why Ozpin made me leader of JNPR." he admits.

"You and me both." Weiss snidely remarks.

"Could you like, not for once?" you groan.

"Not what?"

"Not be such an Ice Queen."

"Wha- how dare you?!"

"Anyway..." Pyrrha interrupts. "Ozpin chose you for a reason; you just need to have faith in yourself, like we do."

"Y-you do?"

You all nod to reassure him, save Weiss. A bit of a commotion catches your attention; it was Team CRDL messing with a rabbit Faunus, Cardin pulling on her ears.

"Ow... please stop." she begged.

"See, I told you they were real."

"Heh, what a freak!"

Everyone at your table glared at the scene; once again, save Weiss.

"Deplorable." Pyrrha hisses.

"I-indeed."

"Maybe... someone should do something about it." you offer.

"I got it!" Nora exclaims. "We'll break his legs!"

"Um... as much as I like that, I was thinking of a more... diplomatic approach, like a _leader_ would do." you say winking to Ruby; she seems to pick up on your hint, but before she could do anything, Jaune stands up.

"You're right (Y/n)! I'm going to stop that jerk right now!"

"Whoa Jaune, wait a second!" you yell after him, but he's already marching over to Cardin.

"Hey Cardin!"

Cardin raises an eyebrow at the young knight now in front of him.

"What do _you_ want?"

"I want you to leave her alone!" Jaune demands, pointing at the young Faunus.

Cardin lets go of her ears, and she scurries away to the other side of the table she was sitting at.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't?"

"Oh... uh... well..."

Cardin notices a bit of sweat drop from Jaune's brow. He smirks and cracks his knuckles.

"I'm gonna enjoy beating you down."

Jaune gulps and braces himself for a punch, but it never comes. Instead, you're in-between him and Cardin, holding his fist in your hand. You twist Cardin's arm behind his back and kick him into Russel, both of them tumbling onto the floor.

"You know, I'd tell you to pick on someone your own size, but there don't seem to be any small children around." you joke.

Cardin growls, pushing Russel off of him.

"Why you-"

He swings at you; you duck under his punch and smack him on the back of his head.

"Oh come on, were you even trying to hit me there?"

He growls and rushes at you, swinging wildly; you weaving in between his sloppy punches. The whole cafeteria was glued to your "fight", such as it was. You notice out of the corner of your eye that Glynda had entered the cafeteria, and decide to end this. As Cardin throws another punch, you stop dodging and let it hit you in the face. You smirk as the others gasp, your plan set into motion.

"MISTER WINCHESTER!"

You sit up to see the look on Cardin's face... and it was priceless! You were trying your hardest not to burst out laughing, as doing so would most likely incur Glynda's wrath, even if you are the "victim".

"What is the meaning of this?!" she asks, quickly losing patience. "Well?!"

"Uh... I... well..."

Glynda sighs annoyed, then turns to Jaune.

"Mister Arc, what happened here?"

"W-well... Cardin and his team were bullying this Faunus, so I tried to stop it and... well... (Y/n) stepped in and-"

"Enough. Cardin, Russel, Dove, Sky, to Ozpin's office... now."

"But-"

"NOW!"

Cardin mumbles to himself as he and his team leave the cafeteria. As soon as they're gone, Glynda turns to you, already off the ground.

"Are you alright?" she asks concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine, just helping out a friend." you smile.

"Yes well, pull another stunt like that and you'll be the one in trouble." she says going back to her usual demeanor.

"I don't know what you're talking about." you coyly shrug.

"I'm not an idiot (Y/n), you were easily dodging his punches until you noticed that I was in the room." she smirks.

Your eyes widen.

"Eheheh... I guess you got me." you admit.

"Just don't do it again."

"No promises."

Glynda sighs and leaves the cafeteria as you and Jaune return to your table.

"Uh... sorry about that (Y/n)." Jaune says apologetically, taking his seat.

"It's no problem Jaune, it was fun making a fool out of that jerk." you smile.

"It was an impressive display." Pyrrha compliments.

"Yeah! He couldn't even touch you...until he punched you in the face." Ruby says meekly.

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Yang inquires.

"Well, I noticed Glynda walk into the room and decided to let her handle it." you explain. "She's been... protective of me ever since I got here, it's weird."

Orchid looks like she wants to say something, but is deterred when Yang speaks again.

"Maybe she has a crush on you." she jokes.

"Ha, yeah right!" you scoff. "Although I wouldn't mind...she does look pretty good for her age."

Your mind starts to wander until the bell sounds, signaling the end lunch. You groan, begrudgingly getting up from your seat.

"Ugh class."

"C-come on (Y/n). I-I'll make sure y-you stay awake." Orchid comforts.

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After going through the slog that was Prof-Doctor Oobleck's history class and listening to Professor Peach give a lecture about the different kinds of mold, it was the final class of the day: combat class with Glynda. You, for once, were wide awake, attention completely focused on the arena where Jaune and Cardin were sparring.

"I-I see you're f-finally paying attention (Y/n)." Orchid observes.

"Anything's better than listening to a lecture about mold." you state matter of factly, eyes never leaving the arena.

"You said it." Ruby groans.

"Well I thought it was very informative." Ren says.

You and Ruby just share a look before turning your attention back to the arena, only to see Jaune get knocked down by Cardin. He raises his mace above his head before Glynda stops the match.

"That's quite enough Mister Winchester. As you can see, Mister Arc's Aura was put into the red; in a tournament-style match, this would indicate that he is no longer able to fight." she explains motioning to the large board behind her.

"It's also noteworthy that in the event your Aura does run low or run out in the field, it would be best to defend and recover rather than attack; we wouldn't want you getting gobbled up by a Beowolf now would we?"

Jaune only sighs as he trudges back to his seat next to Pyrrha.

"That was an... inspiring performance Jaune." she compliments.

"Pyrrha, you can tell me that I sucked."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that; you just need some...practice is all."

"Pyrrha, no amount of practice is going to make him better." Weiss states matter of factly. "Now I on the other hand am-"

"Weiss, no one cares what you are." you groan.

"How dare you?! I am a Schnee!" she states proudly.

"So? That doesn't make you better than everyone here." Yang says.

"No, but it at least makes me better than him." she points to you. "And our so-called 'fearless leader'."

"Hey!" you and Ruby protest.

"Ahem, if we may continue?" Glynda interrupts. "We have time for one more match, so who would like to volunteer?"

Your hand immediately shoots up.

"Very well then (Y/n), I'll allow you to choose your-"

"Ruby."

"-Opponent. Very well, both of you get changed and we'll begin shortly."

You leave the room to retrieve your weapon, but before you can go anywhere, Ruby stops you.

"Hey, uh, (Y/n)? Why do you want to fight me?" she asks curiously.

"Because I'm sick of Weiss putting you down, so I thought a little... exhibition was in order."

"Exhibition?"

"Yeah, to show that just because you're young, you still belong here." you smile. "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

"Does that mean that I'll get to see what your Onyx Rose in action?!" she asks excitedly.

"Maybe." you chuckle. "Now let's go."

You and Ruby walk off in different directions.

"Uh (Y/n)? The locker room is this way."

"Right... I knew that."

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You and Ruby were facing each other in the arena, waiting for Glynda to start the match. Ruby was shaking a bit, but gripping Crescent Rose tight in her hands, the very act calming her nerves. You were calm as usual, casually holding Onyx Rose behind your head; you could hear Yang in the stands, cheering her sister on.

"Knock 'em dead sis!" she turns to Weiss. "Aren't you gonna cheer for your _leader_?" she asks smirking.

"Woo. Go Ruby." she quietly deadpans

"Come on, you call that cheering?" Yang scolds. "You sound like Blake!"

"Honestly, until Ruby proves to me that she's leader material, I'm not cheering for her."

"Well when you see her in action, you'll change your tune."

"I seriously doubt that."

Glynda walks out on the arena, in between you and Ruby, typing on her tablet. As she finishes, yours and Ruby's portraits appear on the giant screen above the arena, with your respective Aura meters filling up below them.

"Alright, the match between Ruby Rose and (Y/n) Goodwitch shall begin in 3... 2… 1... begin!"

You and Ruby run at each other, meeting in the middle. Ruby swipes her scythe at your head; you dodge roll out of the way behind her and hit her with the butt of your sheath. She stumbles a bit but rushes at you again, firing off a round for extra speed. She slices at you, but you lay your body flat on the ground to dodge and kick her weapon from her hands. Ruby watches in horror as Crescent Rose clatters to the ground behind you. You get up, leaving your sword on the ground and bring your fists up to your face.

"Let's see how your hand to hand is." you smirk.

"Uh... do we have to?" Ruby whimpers.

"You're not getting your weapon back otherwise." you say, walking in front of Crescent Rose.

Ruby sighs, meekly putting fists up.

"If you say so..."

Meanwhile in the stands, Yang sighs watching her sister bring her fists up.

"Oh boy."

"What is it?" Jaune asks.

"Ruby's hand to hand skills... well they suck. I tried teaching her before I came to Beacon but... that didn't really end well."

"Oh come now, it can't be that bad." Pyrrha assures.

Ruby yelps as your fist just barely misses her head. You're somewhat confused, as she didn't even try to dodge or block your punch, so you purposefully missed her. She slightly opens her eyes, only to see you coming in for a hook; she ducks, but leaves herself wide open, so you capitalize by kicking her away.

"You know, you have to at least try to fight back." you tease. _'Especially since I'm trying to make you look good.'_

"You see?" Yang says.

"I believe I do see your point." Pyrrha confirms.

Ruby gets to her feet and speeds at you with her Semblance. You ready yourself, but she goes right past you to her weapon; you sigh before you duck under an incoming swing from her scythe. She quickly recovers, hooking her scythe around your torso, spinning you around using her Semblance to gain momentum, and tossing you into the air. You correct yourself midair, only to Ruby jumping after you in pursuit. You quickly take off your jacket and throw it at her; it hits its mark, her head, effectively blinding her. She shakes it off and swings, only to have you deflect it with your foot, while the other delivers a kick to her stomach. She hits the ground hard, bouncing a bit while you land neatly near your weapon; you pick it up and retrieve your jacket, putting it back on. As you do, you hear Ruby pushing herself to her feet, using Crescent Rose to stabilize herself, breathing heavily.

"You done?" you playfully ask.

"Not... even... close."

You smile as you unsheathe Onyx Rose, the black metal shining in the artificial light above your head. You point the blade toward Ruby and concentrate, the blade extending toward her. She dodges out of the way before the blade impales her, rushing at you and swinging her scythe. You quickly retract the blade to block the strike, pushing her off you. She follows up with a succession of quick, but overall predictable slashes, you blocking and evading each one with relative ease.

Weiss watches from her seat, captivated by your fight. How you and Ruby weave in between each other's attacks like a choreographed dance; just for a moment, she feels a twinge of guilt for being so hard on Ruby.

You block another strike from Ruby, the tip of her scythe clashing against the flat of Onyx Rose. You push her off and kick her in the stomach, making her slide back a ways back. Ruby shakes her head and decides to try out a new tactic she's thought up; she starts speeding around the arena using her Semblance, creating a whirlwind of rose petals around you. You feel something hit you while you're distracted, but you don't see anything; you concentrate a bit and you're able to see a red streak darting around the arena before dashing at you, hitting you. You close your eyes and brace yourself and spin on your heel, kicking Ruby square in the gut; she falls to the ground, releasing Crescent Rose on impact. As the whirlwind of petals dies down, a buzzer sounds, indicating that the match is over. Glynda steps to the middle of the arena again, tablet in hand.

"That's match. The winner is (Y/n) Goodwitch." she declares.

You immediately run over to Ruby to check on her status.

"You okay Rubes?"

"Just... peachy." she manages to choke out.

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You, Ruby, Weiss, Yang and Orchid were walking to your respective dorms. You and Ruby still dressed in your 'combat gear', but you still had your Onyx Rose in your hand; you already had it out so you didn't see any reason to put it away, you would probably have it at your side the whole time you're at Beacon. You take a second and notice Ruby intermittently touching her stomach.

"Uh Ruby, are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah... you kicked me pretty hard though." Ruby says, her voice still straining the tiniest bit.

"Hey, you're the one that sped at me." you defend.

Suddenly Yang puts you into a headlock.

"I mean, I understand that, but did you have to be so rough with my sister?" she semi-growls, tightening her grip around your neck.

"Well... it was a... sparring match... Yang." you struggle out. "What did you... want me to do... lose... on... purpose?"

"Well... it would've helped with your plan." Ruby blurts out, quickly covering her mouth afterward.

"Plan? What are you talking about?" Yang questions releasing you.

You sigh, deciding to come clean.

"Well... I was trying to get Weiss to acknowledge Ruby as a leader and I thought that combat would be the best way to do that. So... what did you think Weiss?"

Weiss is snapped out of her deep thought, looking between all of you.

"I think... that it takes more than just combat ability to be a leader." she scolds. Ruby shrinks a bit before she continues. "But... your fight was impressive, even if you only have two years of formal training." she semi-compliments, referring to Ruby.

"Yeah well, my uncle Qrow taught me basically everything I know about using a scythe, even before I went to Signal."

"Is that so? I remember my sister telling me a few things about a Qrow once before." Weiss says, bringing her hand up to her chin, thinking.

"Really?! Like what?!"

"That he was talented, brash, a womanizer, a drunken fool... among other inappropriate things."

"WHAAAAT?! How dare she talk that way about him?! I have half a mind to-" she's cut off by Yang covering her mouth.

"Aaaanyway, we can talk about this another time. We have homework to do."

Ruby freezes at the mere mention of homework.

"Ugh, why'd you have to remind me?" she groans.

"Now Ruby, a good leader always gets their homework done before their teammates." you lecture.

"R-really?! Then what are we waiting for?!" Ruby excitedly yells, grabbing Weiss and Yang and bolting to their dorm.

"Wha- hey! Ruby!"

"See ya (Y/n)!" Yang waves.

You and Orchid wave as they disappear around the corner. You both make it to your dorm and walk inside.

"So Orchid, you've been characteristically quiet. What's up?"

"O-oh, I've just b-been thinking."

"About...?"

"W-well I was thinking h-how much Glynda looks like your m-mother."

You pick up the photo of your mother and look closer at it; the green eyes, blonde hair, even the similar facial structure...it clicks.

"I thought she looked familiar! You don't think..."

I-it's a possibility. S-she even has the same l-last name as you."

"Really? Well that would explain a lot."

"A-are you going to a-ask her about it?" Orchid asks, opening her textbook.

"All in good time Orchid; but first, we have some work to do and I kinda need you to fill me in." you sheepishly chuckle.

"V-very well then (Y/n), l-let's get started."

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Jaune stands on a balcony connected to the dorms, just staring out at the horizon, not looking at anything in particular, just enjoying the view.

"So this is where you went to." a voice says behind him.

"Oh hey Pyrrha." he halfheartedly smiles.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing." he lies.

Pyrrha can see through this obvious lie and walks up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looks back at her to see her giving a soft smile.

"Jaune we're teammates, if anything's bothering you, you can tell me."

He sighs.

"Well, I've been thinking... about being here, at Beacon. After seeing Ruby and (Y/n) fight... I just seem so... I don't know, inadequate?"

"Jaune, I've told you before that you just need some practice and you'll-"

"That's just it! I... I have to tell you something... I wasn't really accepted into Beacon." he admits.

"What do you mean?"

Jaune takes a deep breath.

"All my life I've wanted to be someone; someone who was strong enough to defend himself and his family, and I thought that being a Huntsman was just the way to do that. But... all my attempts to train were failures. 'No one could teach me' they said. I was ready to give up when I got an... idea, a stupid, stupid idea to fake some transcripts. I made myself look like an expert, a genius; I didn't actually think that I would get accepted... but when I was, my family was ecstatic, I couldn't tell them the truth. And now here I am, just waiting for them to kick me out."

"J-Jaune..."

"Go ahead and laugh! Everybody else does."

Pyrrha takes up a spot next to him, giving him a comforting smile.

"Jaune I'm not going to laugh at you."

"You're not?"

"Of course not; like I said, we're teammates now and teammates help each other."

"And how are you going to help me?" Jaune asks dryly.

"Well... I could help you practice and work on your stance."

"What do you mean?"

Pyrrha motions for Jaune to take a stance; he does and she easily knocks him down.

"Ow! Hey!"

"That's what I mean, you're stance is way too wide. I can help you up to a point, but you have to want to improve." she says, helping him up.

"I-I do. I'll try as hard as I can, promise."

"Good. We'll start first thing in the morning, so get a good night's rest."

"I will... and thanks Pyrrha."

She smiles.

"Anytime. Helping people is what Huntsmen and Huntresses do right?"

"Yeah, I guess it is."

Pyrrha leaves the balcony to go back to the dorm, leaving Jaune to look back out to the stars.

 _'Everyone... I'll make you proud.'_

Unbeknownst to them, Cardin and his team were listening in on their little heart to heart

"Hehehe... checkmate Jauney-boy." he chuckles before going back into his dorm.

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 **And another chapter in the books! Er... book, whatever; this chapter was originally going to be longer, but I felt that this was a good place to stop it. On another note, I want to know how I've been doing with the fight scenes; I'm trying to make them feel as natural as possible and honestly, it's all practice for the pain that will most likely be the Vytal Festival tournament, but I'll worry about that when we get there. So until next time, see ya!**


	6. Chapter 6 Weiss, Weiss Baby (Part 1)

**6.** **Weiss, Weiss Baby (Part 1)**

It's been a few weeks and you've gotten into the swing of school... mostly. You still find yourself falling asleep in the odd class, mostly in classes where they give lectures; although you managed to stay awake long enough to hear some of Professor Port's escapades when he was younger, which were at the very least moderately entertaining. No, the only class that held your attention 100 percent of the time was combat class. Your eyes were always glued to the arena, watching the combatants spar with each other, taking note of their fighting styles and what you can do to counter them. You haven't seen Pyrrha fight yet, but you're definitely excited to see what a world-renowned fighter can do.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jaune hasn't been doing so hot. Despite Pyrrha's coaching, his performance has been barely passable; and to make matters worse, Cardin seems to have taken an... interest in him, constantly picking on and bullying him. Jaune tried to assure everyone that he's fine and can handle it, but you know better; oh well, one problem at a time. You were currently heading to Ozpin's tower to discuss Jaune's... position at Beacon. Luckily, the tower was pretty hard to miss as it 'towered' over the campus. You enter the tower and immediately look for the elevator; you find it and step inside, looking over the buttons and pressing the one that takes you to the top, figuring that's where Ozpin would be. The doors close and it starts to ascend.

It takes about a minute for the elevator to reach the top and when it does, it stops, sounding a bell before the doors open, letting you walk through. Ozpin's office was pretty big, with a large window behind his desk. As you walked in, you could hear the ticking of a clock and the whirring of gears in the room; the constant sound would drive you crazy. Maybe Ozpin found it relaxing... who knows? You certainly didn't. Ozpin, hearing the elevator, looks up from the papers on his desk and, seeing you, smiles.

"Ah (Y/n), what can I do for you this evening?"

"Uh, well... I just wanted to talk to you about something is all."

"About what?"

"It's... about Jaune."

Ozpin chuckled, knowing exactly where this was going.

"You're wondering why I chose to accept Mister Arc into Beacon despite his... lack of experience and faulty transcripts."

"I mean I don't want to be rude, but from what Pyrrha told me, he didn't even know what Aura was!" you exclaim, wandering around the room.

Ozpin chuckles again, pressing a button on his desk.

"I'll tell you what I told Glynda when she asked me." he explains, getting up from his desk, his cane and mug in hand. "Hopefully that should satisfy you."

You hear the sound of gears turning in the room; you look at your feet to see the gears embedded in the floor turning. A large wall comes down, covering the window behind Ozpin's desk. He motions for you to walk over to the wall and as you get close, you see a number of photos on it. Your eyes scan over them until one catches your attention: a man with blonde hair and matching beard with blue eyes in gold and white armor, Vale's insignia on the chest.

"Do you know who that is" Ozpin asks, stepping next to you and pointing to the photo you're looking at.

"I suspect it has to do with your explanation." you ponder. "But he does look kind of like Jaune."

"That's because... that is his great-great grandfather: Damien Arc. In his time, he was one of the finest Huntsmen to fight in the Great War." Ozpin praised, taking a sip from his mug. "Strong, cunning, kind an inspiration to all who followed him into combat."

"You sound like you knew him personally." you joke.

Ozpin chuckles.

"I did know him. I personally oversaw his training."

"What? How? Wasn't the Great War like... 80 years ago or something? How were you there?"

"I'm old (Y/n), very old... anyway, when I saw Jaune for the first time, I immediately saw the same potential Damien had. I believe that with the proper training and guidance, that he could be as great, if not greater, than his predecessor."

Ozpin walks back to his desk and presses the same button that brought the wall down; the wall ascends and you walk around to the front of the desk.

"So... does that answer your question?" Ozpin asks, taking a seat at his desk.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"Good. Now is there anything else I can help you with?"

You wait a moment before speaking up.

"Um... do you know where Glynda is? I have to ask her something."

"About your mother I presume?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Well... I can tell you that Glynda isn't your mother." this takes a huge weight off your shoulders. "She and your mother, Rhea, are sisters." and it's back again... you have some thoughts to rethink.

"Um... well okay then, I'll just ask you. Do you know what happened to my mom?"

Ozpin frowns a bit and brings his hands together in front of his mouth.

"I do but... it's not my place to tell. Glynda will tell you eventually."

"But-"

"Glynda _will_ tell you." he repeats in a sterner tone.

You sigh, knowing you won't get any further than that.

"I understand... well, thanks for answering my question about Jaune; even though I didn't really ask it."

"Of course, I'm here anytime you need to talk, as will Glynda." Ozpin smiles.

"Right... well I should go, there's a field trip or something tomorrow and I should be rested for that." you chuckle as you walk toward the elevator.

You reach the elevator and push the button to go down; the elevator doors open and you step inside. You give Ozpin a wave and see him smile and nod before the doors close.

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As you were walking back to your dorm, you see Jaune sitting in front of the door of his dorm, looking down at the floor.

"Hey Jaune." you smile. "You didn't lock yourself out again did you?"

Jaune looks up startled, but calms down seeing you.

"No I didn't lock myself out, I'm just... thinking."

"About Cardin?"

"No! Maybe."

You sigh and take a seat next to him.

"Jaune, why do you let him push you around? You're better than that."

"No I'm not... I'm just some failure that bluffed his way into Beacon."

"Well you can't afford to be a failure anymore. You've got a team to look after."

Jaune chuckles dryly.

"Ruby said the same thing."

"Sounds like she knows what she's talking about." you comment, getting up off the floor. "By the way, I talked to Ozpin about you."

Jaune scrambles to his feet, his face filled with worry.

"What?! Why?!"

"I wanted an explanation about why you were here."

"Oh. W-what did he say?"

"He said that you remind him of your great-great grandfather; strong, intelligent, a great leader, that sort of stuff."

"R-really? Ozpin said that?" Jaune asks dumbfounded.

"Oh yeah definitely. He also said something about 'faulty transcripts'... I don't really know what he was talking about there." you say before yawning. "Well, I'm going to bed, night Jaune."

"Night (Y/n)… and thanks Jaune says with reassured smile as he disappears into his dorm.

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You and Orchid, along with teams RWBY, JNPR and CRDL were all standing in a clearing in the forest of Forever Fall for your field trip. There was a Bullhead in the background that had dropped you all off, its engines still running. Glynda comes walking up to your group, some papers in her hand.

"Alright everyone, you've been brought out here for a simple survival and leadership exercise." she explains, handing Ruby and Jaune maps of the forest. "You'll split into two groups and navigate your way through the forest and to the designated area on the map."

"Um, what if we can't find our way?" Jaune asks.

"Well, I'd guess that you'd be wandering around the forest forever; a shame really." Cardin says with sarcasm evident in his voice. "In fact-"

Glynda shoots a disapproving glare at Cardin, which was more than enough to shut him up.

"Not to worry Mister Arc; if you're unable to make it to the designated area within one hour, I shall be there to retrieve you." she assures.

"How will you be able to find us?" Pyrrha questions.

"With my Semblance. I'll be able to telepathically pinpoint your locations."

"Hm, that's cool." you comment.

"Yes well... I'll be taking my leave now; I wish you all the best of luck."

Glynda walks her way back to the Bullhead, boarding it. Its engines give off a roar and it ascends to the sky before flying off, leaving the fourteen of you behind.

"So, how're we going to do this?" Yang questions.

"(Y/n) and Orchid, you guys go with RWBY; we'll take Cardin and his team." Jaune instructs.

"Jaune are you surer about that?" Ruby asks concerned.

"Positive. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point." he answers confidently.

Cardin and his gang chuckle as he puts his arm around Jaune.

"Good choice 'pal'."

Jaune removes Cardin's arm form him and, opening the map, walks off into the forest. Pyrrha, Nora and Ren give each other confused looks before following their leader, with CRDL in tow; leaving you and Orchid with RWBY.

"Hm... wonder what's gotten into him." Ruby wonders scratching her head.

"Eh, who knows?" you shrug. "But c'mon, we better get moving if we're gonna beat them there."

"Yeah!" Ruby shouts, pumping her fist in the air. "Let's go Team RWBY! Alongwith(Y/n)andOrchid."

As Ruby was about to open the map, Weiss snatches it from her hands.

"Give me that! I mean... you lead the way Ruby, and I shall direct us." she says as regally as possible.

You roll your eyes, knowing Weiss was full of it, but you decided not to call her out on it... yet.

"Oh, thanks Weiss, I appreciate it since I'm not too good with multitasking y'know?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, sure, whatever. Let's go." Weiss mutters, too engrossed in the map to pay attention to her partner.

Weiss strolls off into the forest, Ruby following suit. Yang and Blake share a look before following them with you and Orchid close behind.

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You've been walking for a bit with Weiss leading the way and Ruby next to her. You, Yang, Blake and Orchid were hanging back, watching them.

"I thought Ruby was supposed to be the leader." Yang comments. But Weiss seems to be making all the decisions."

"Well you know how people like her are... always wanting to take control of everything." you say, the slightest bit of irritation in your voice.

Yang gives a quiet laugh.

"Tell me about it; yesterday she tried to make us schedules."

You burst out laughing.

"No way! Next thing you know she'll try to regulate your bathroom time."

Blake gives a light chuckle.

"Actually..." she starts.

"She didn't!" you gasp.

"Are you four going to be slacking all day or what?!" Weiss yells.

"Well we'd be able to do something if _you_ knew where we were." you point out.

"I know exactly where we're going!"

"Then where are we on the map?"

Weiss brings the map up to her face, her blue eyes scanning it intently.

"We're... um..."

Ruby taps Weiss on her shoulder.

"Umm Weiss? The map's upside down."

"Ugh, I knew it! Ruby, why'd you let her lead us around?!" you yell.

"I thought-"

"Well I'm doing a better job than she would!" the heiress argues pointing at Ruby.

"And how would you know?! You were soooo quick to just force yourself into the situation!"

"Um... m-maybe I could t-take a look at the m-map?" Orchid suggests.

"You stay out of this!" Weiss snaps at her.

"Hey! Don't yell at her!" you snap back. "Like seriously, what is your problem with everyone?!"

"Nothing! It's everyone else that seems to have a problem with me!"

"Maybe that's because you're a rude, obnoxious, self-centered know-it-all who probably paid her way into Beacon!"

"How dare you! I'll have you know that I'm twice the warrior you'll ever be!"

"Then prove it! Fight me right now!" you challenge.

"Fine! I'll show you!" she huffs.

As you and Weiss take up positions across from each other, Orchid, Blake, Ruby and Yang take up a position on the sidelines.

"U-um... should we s-stop this?" Orchid questions.

"Yes... maybe... I don't know." Ruby rests her head in her hands.

"Are you kidding? It's about time someone put the Ice Queen in her place." Yang smirks. "Kick her butt (Y/n)!"

Blake sighs, leaning against a tree and crossing her arms.

 _'I'm just wondering if JNPR has to put up with something like this... and with Cardin's gang, it's probably even worse.'_

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Teams JNPR and CRDL were trekking through the forest with Jaune leading the way. Suddenly, Cardin and his gang surrounded him.

"What is it?" Pyrrha questions slightly annoyed.

Cardin smirks, putting his arm around Jaune.

"Well me and my 'good friend' Jaune here have some... things to discuss... alone. So if you'll excuse us-"

"Wait, you can't just take our leader!" Nora whines. "He's supposed to be... well, leading us!"

Jaune smiles a bit, folding up the map and handing it to Pyrrha.

"Don't worry about it guys, I'll be fine." he says with confidence.

"Are you sure?" Pyrrha asks, her emerald eyes filled with concern.

"Of course! If anything happens, I know you've got my back."

Pyrrha, Ren and Nora smile slightly at their leader's confidence before he's dragged off deeper into the forest.

"So... we're following them right?" Nora questions.

"Of course." Ren confirms. "Jaune's confidence is admirable, but he can't deal with CRDL alone, so we have to be there to support him."

"You certainly have a way with words Ren." Pyrrha smiles.

"Yeah, he gets real poetic when he wants to." Nora swoons. "Anyway, onward!"

Ren sighs and gives a soft smile as he and Pyrrha follow Nora deeper into the forest after Jaune and CRDL.

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You and Weiss were staring each other down, Myrtenaster in her hand and Onyx Rose in yours, though it was sheathed.

Aren't you going to unsheathe your weapon?" she asks, irritated.

"I won't need to to beat you." you smirk.

Weiss growls and activates a shining golden glyph beneath her feet before dashing at you. You quickly dodge roll out of the way as Weiss skids to a stop and faces you.

 _'So... that made her faster.'_ you analyze.

Weiss bursts forward and readies her rapier in an attempt to stab you; you barely dodge, leaving her to dash past you. Weiss quickly recovers, spinning around and unleashing a flurry of stabs that, thanks to her finesse and augmented speed, were difficult to dodge or block. Her augmentation soon wears off however, as you dodge a stab at your head; you grab her arm and toss her over your shoulder. She recovers and gracefully lands and pirouettes, stabbing her weapon in the ground and summoning a white glyph at your feet. You jump out of the way as an ice spike shoots up from the glyph; you're not given a chance to rest as another glyph appears beneath your feet. You dodge another ice spike, then another, and backflip out of the way of another. Weiss anticipates your move however, as she makes one final glyph where you land, freezing your feet to the ground.

"Gah! Not good." you mutter as you try to free your feet.

Weiss smirks as she raises her rapier and with a flourish, summons five smaller red glyphs above her head. She points her weapon forward summoning fireballs from the glyphs and firing them at you. You could only watch as the fireballs converge on your position before they collide with you in a fiery explosion.

"(Y/n)!" Ruby and Yang yell.

"Hmph. Serves him right for-"

Weiss interrupts herself as the explosion is sucked downward; she looks down to see you with your sword drawn, the flames being drawn into the blade like a vacuum. Once the fire is absorbed fully, the runes on Onyx Rose glow a bright red.

"Well, you made me draw my sword... way to make a liar out of me." you say sarcastically.

You quickly slash the air multiple times to send out waves of flaming energy. Weiss stabs her weapon into the ground and erects a wall of ice to block the waves, causing the ice wall to melt. She looks up to see the blade of Onyx Rose piercing through the wall toward her. She quickly dodges leaving your sword to impale a tree behind her. You retract the blade and provoke Weiss to attack you.

"Come on princess, you're not going to beat me like that."

Weiss grits her teeth and rushes at you, rapier at the ready; you dash at her and as you meet, you swing. Weiss blocks and twirls around you, kicking you in the back. You stumble a bit but immediately spin around and throw Onyx Rose's sheath at Weiss; she deflects it and is met with you slashing horizontally at her. She blocks and pushes you off her and the two of you engage in a clash of steel; both of you dodging, blocking and parrying each other's attacks. Weiss attempts to stab you, but you dodge while throwing your sword in the air. You grab her rapier and pull her into you, driving your fist into her stomach, causing her to release her weapon and fly backward, only stopping as she hits a tree. You plant Myrtenaster in the ground and lean on it as you catch Onyx Rose in your hand.

"So... you done?" you smirk.

Weiss responds by creating a whitish-blue glyph on the ground and one under her sword. It sinks into the glyph and Weiss pulls it up by its handle and reassumes her stance, smirking at you.

"That's cool, but will it help you catch me?"

You run off into the forest, grabbing your sheath in the process.

"Hey, get back here!" Weiss shouts running after you.

"S-should we go a-after them?" Orchid questions.

"I know I am!" Yang smiles running off. "I'm not missing a second of this!"

"Wait!" Blake yells, stopping Yang in her tracks. "We can't get sidetracked by what Weiss and (Y/n) are doing. We have to get to the rendezvous point; otherwise we'll probably fail the assignment."

"B-but aren't we s-supposed to do this as a t-team?"

"Then _we'll_ do this as a team; but ultimately it's up to Ruby."

Ruby shudders a bit as all eyes are on her, waiting for her to make a decision.

"Um... we'll... head to... the rendezvous point." she decides.

Blake and Orchid smile lightly while Yang pouts at her sister.

"Aww... you're no fun."

"Well too bad; as _leader_ , I have made my decision... and you can't do anything about it." Ruby lectures victoriously.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll honor your choice... this time."

Ruby walks over to Orchid and hands her the map.

I'll lead and Orchid, you direct us."

"I-I'll do my best." Orchid smiles. "B-but what are we g-going to tell Professor G-Goodwitch when we find her?"

"Simple; we'll just explain the situation and I'm sure she'll understand... hopefully." Yang explains.

Alright, now that that's settled, let's go team!" Ruby cheers as everyone walks deeper into the forest.

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Cardin pushes Jaune against a tree; he winces, grasping his shoulder. Russel,  
Dove and Sky surround him and laugh, but he doesn't care, stepping forward and glaring defiantly at Cardin.

"What do you want Cardin?"

"You didn't get those Rapier Wasps I wanted." he deadpans, almost sounding disappointed.

"You're damn right I didn't!" Jaune snaps. "I am done being your whipping boy Cardin."

Cardin chuckles darkly.

"Is that right? Well, that's a shame Arc; because now... we're gonna have to hurt you."

Jaune readies Crocea Mors as CRDL take out their weapons and advance on him. They stop however, when they hear a low growling coming from the brush.

"W-what was that?" Sky asked fearfully.

"Does it matter?" Cardin snaps. "Get him!"

Suddenly, a loud roar cuts off CRDL's assault. Everyone looks to the distance to see the source of the noise; it was an Ursa, but much larger than an Ursa Major; its bony armor taking on a plate-like appearance over its back, arms and chest. There were several scratches and puncture wounds on the armor and the beast itself, the most prominent ones being an 'X' shaped scar on the chestpiece and a large scar over its left eye. The beast rears on its hind legs and roars, brandishing its sharp teeth and claws.

"H-holy shit!" Dove exclaims.

"It's huge!" Sky yells.

"We can't fight that thing! Let's get out of here!" Russel yells as the three of them turn tail and run.

"Hey! Get back here you goddamn cowards!" Cardin screams after his teammates, but they're already gone. He scoffs and pulls out his mace. "Whatever, I'll take care of this."

Cardin runs up to the monstrous Ursa, reeling back his mace back and swinging horizontally. The attack harmlessly bounces off the beast's hide and, with one swing of his paw, the Ursa swipes Cardin to the side, sending him reeling into a tree, his mace traveling with him.

"Cardin!" Jaune yells as he rushes to his side.

Jaune watches as the Ursa slowly creeps toward the two as if trying to intimidate them. The young knight raises an eyebrow at this; but figures that the Ursa had survived a long time and learned a few things from humans. He swallows the lump in his throat and stands in front of Cardin, shield and sword at the ready.

"Why're you...?" Cardin manages to choke out.

"Because you might be an absolute ass, you don't deserve to die for it." Jaune answers honestly. "If you can run, then run... I'll hold this thing off."

Cardin chuckles, lifting himself off the ground and steps next to Jaune.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Arc... but I like it."

The Ursa raises its paw to attack the duo but before it can, Pyrrha's shield hits it in the head and flies back to its owner. The Ursa growls as it turns its head to see the remainder of Team JNPR running towards it, weapons equipped.

"Nora!" Pyrrha orders.

"On it!"

Nora jumps in the air, landing on Akouo. Pyrrha braces herself before launching her teammate headlong at the beast. Nora winds up her hammer and, with all of her strength, swings and hits the Ursa square in the stomach, forcing it back into a tree. Nora lands, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Steee-rike!"

Pyrrha and Ren join the energetic ginger in front of Jaune and Cardin.

"Are you both alright?" Ren questions.

"Yeah we're fine." Jaune confirms.

"So, where's the rest of your team Cardin?" Pyrrha asks, the smallest hint of smugness in her voice.

"They ran away." He sneers. "Cowards."

"Well considering their leader..."

"Hey!"

"Guys, fight each other later, that Ursa's getting back up." Jaune observes.

Nora starts giggling maniacally.

"All right! Hammer time!"

Everyone assumes a stance as the Ursa stands, belting out a deep roar at its new prey. Nora runs ahead of everyone, jumping and bringing her hammer down on the Ursa. To her surprise, it actually blocks her swing, Magnhild bashing against the bony armor on its arm. The beast shakes her off, causing her to fly back to her team and fall on her butt. She immediately gets back up, her eye twitching a bit.

"I don't think you heard me." she growls through gritted teeth. "I SAID IT'S HAMMER TIME!"

"Nora! Calm yourself." Ren scolds in his usual calm tone.

Nora calms down immediately and sheepishly rubs the back of her head.

"Hehe... sorry."

"It's fine, just stay focused."

"Jaune, what should we do?" Pyrrha asks, turning to him.

"Oh... uh... well..."

Jaune studies the Ursa up and down; it does the same, waiting for his group to make a move. He notices a long, jagged scar over the Ursa's right eye.

 _"Ren,"_ he whispers in case the Grimm could hear him; he doubts whether it could even understand him, but with a Grimm as old as this one looks, you can't be too careful. _"Its right_ _side is its blind spot, stay around there and distract it and use your Semblance to avoid getting spotted."_

Ren nods, switching Stormflower into its SMG mode.

 _"Consider it done."_

 _"Nora, you go around the right and alternate with Ren to confuse it so Pyrrha and I can get close."_

 _"Right!"_

"What about me?" Cardin asks, slightly annoyed.

"You? You just sit back and watch." Jaune smirks. "Alright go!"

Ren and Nora bolt from their positions, Ren to the left and Nora to the right. Ren acts first, strafing around the Ursa while shooting off Stormflower, the bullets pelting the beast's hide. It growls and turns to its head to see that there was no one was to its right... strange. Its thoughts are interrupted when by getting hit in the head with a grenade. It swings its head around to see Nora waving and sticking her tongue out at it. It growls at her and moves to attack when more bullets hit its head; it turns again to see nothing at its blind spot only to be hit with another grenade. While the beast is distracted, Jaune and Pyrrha ready themselves to attack.

"So, how do we do this?" Pyrrha questions.

"You go high and I'll take out its legs. Sound good?"

"It's a plan."

Jaune grips his weapon tighter than before, and a bright white light begins to flicker around it... like an Aura. Pyrrha sees this but doesn't comment on it.

"Let's go!"

Jaune and Pyrrha burst from their spots, leaving Cardin in the dust. The young Spartan falls back, preparing herself to jump in. Jaune rushes in, aiming at the Ursa's legs. When he's close enough, he delivers a heavy swing to each leg. They hit home, buckling the Ursa's legs and forcing it to its knees; he jumps back and lets Pyrrha jump in, unleashing a flurry of stabs. One hits particularly hard on the 'X' shaped scar on its chest armor, embedding Milo into its flesh. The beast lets out an ear-splitting roar, swiping Pyrrha away from her weapon. She hits the ground hard and skids to a stop next to a tree; a bit winded, but okay thanks to her Aura. Jaune, Ren, Nora and even Cardin rush to her side to check on her.

"Pyrrha! Are you okay?!"

"Yes, I'm alright, but my weapon is stuck." she confirms by trying, and failing, to attract Milo to with her Semblance.

"No, that's good, we can use this."

"What do you mean?"

"He means you hit a weak point." Cardin says.

"Yeah! Now we can _hammer_ the point home." Nora quips, to which Ren facepalms.

"Nora, stay back and wait for my mark; Ren, Cardin, help me distract it."

"On it."

"Don't go bossing me around Arc... but got it."

The three boys run off, Ren going to the Ursa's blind spot, Cardin circling around to its back and Jaune attacking from the front. Ren jumps and kicks it in the blind spot, making sure to use his Semblance so it wouldn't spot him. Jaune attacks next, striking the Ursa's stomach; it cries out in pain and swipes at him, he manages to block just in time, but gets knocked off balance and falls back. The Ursa growls and rears back, ready to strike and ignoring the bullets that Ren is firing at it. It's cut off however, by Cardin's mace slamming down hard on top of its head; the Ursa is dazed and begins to fall forward... until Jaune bashes it with his shield, making it fall backwards.

"Nora! Now!"

Pyrrha launches Nora into the air toward the Ursa; she comes down fast, Magnhild raised high above her head. She aims at the Ursa's chest and, swinging hard, drives Milo through its heart and into the earth. It squirms a bit before falling limp, finally dead; it dissipates, leaving behind Milo. Jaune retrieves it, handing it to his partner.

"Well... that was more trouble than it was worth." Ren huffs.

"Tell me about it... but at least it's dead." Jaune chimes in.

Pyrrha puts a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"That was some excellent leadership Jaune." she smiles.

"R-really?"

"Yeah!" Nora chirps. "You were like a different person!"

"Yeah, yeah, he wasn't that great." Cardin waves off. "Can we please get outta here?"

Everyone glares at him, but Jaune steps forward, a concerned look on his face.

"What about your team?"

"Pfft, leave 'em. Miss Goodwitch said she could use her Semblance to find anyone lost in the forest right? So, let's just go."

Jaune hesitates for a bit but finally comes to a decision.

"Pyrrha, do you still have the map?"

"Oh! Yes I do."

"Then let's get find our way out of here."

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You weave your way through the trees dodging ice projectiles being shot at you by Weiss. There's a short interval in her assault, so you take a moment to hide yourself in a tree. You sigh bring your hand up to your chin, thinking of a way to beat Weiss. You were at a bit of a disadvantage due to your lack of a Semblance, but that hasn't stopped you before... well, that's not entirely true, but you weren't just gonna give up.

 _'Alright, I have to get the drop on her... normally that'd be difficult, but I have the upper hand... for now.'_

You close your eyes and try to sense Weiss' Aura, a useful ability you've honed a bit from your travels. It was something you could always do, though you don't know why or how. After a moment you open your eyes... she's close, so you wait and sure enough, you see her run past the tree you're in. You silently jump from tree to tree until you're directly in front of her and drop Onyx Rose in her path.

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"Where is that dunce?" Weiss wonders aloud, angrily marching through the forest.

She's cut off by your weapon clattering to the ground a few feet in front of her. She stops in her tracks for a second, and then cautiously moves toward Onyx Rose, eyes scanning the area and Myrtenaster at the ready.

 _'What's your game (Y/n)?'_

She reaches Onyx Rose and taps it with her foot; nothing happens, so it isn't booby trapped. She hears a rustling in the leaves and spins on her heels, cautious of the area around her. She's taken by surprise as you fall from the trees on top of her, driving your knee into her back and restraining her left arm, twisting it until she releases her weapon. It clatters to the ground and you get off of her and retrieve your sword, after which you begin laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh man... I can't believe... you didn't look up."

Weiss growls and gets up, brushing dirt off herself. She picks her rapier up and with the stomp of her foot, a dark purple glyph appears under your feet. You stop laughing and look down; you feel an odd feeling of weightlessness... and you like it. You look up at Weiss, who smirks before throwing her hand up.

"What are you... wait NOOOOOOO-!" you scream as you're launched high into the air.

You quickly unsheathe Onyx Rose and extend it directly downward; it sinks into the ground and you clasp your feet around the base of the blade, keeping you aloft. You take a moment to take in your surroundings; you're high above the trees and can see birds flying in the distance. You keep looking and can see the Bullhead Glynda left on hovering over a clearing in the forest.

"So that's where we needed to go..." you mumble. "Why didn't I do this in the first place?"

The airship is quite a ways away, but you're confident you could reach it. You retract your blade a bit and flick your wrist; the blade takes on a more whip-like appearance and you swing your arm toward Weiss. The whip-blade wraps around her waist and you pull her up to you. You catch her in your arm and revert your sword to its original form; you huff, all of this taking a toll on your Aura.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU DUNCE?!" she screams, pounding on your back.

"Relax Ice Queen, we're going to the rendezvous point... but if you wanna stay here, I could just drop you."

The heiress pales as she recognizes just how high you both are; she shakes her head, expelling her sense of vertigo.

"Whatever. If you're going to do something, then do it, we're falling!"

You shrug and throw your blade arm forward; the blade extends out farther... farther... and farther until you feel it hit the Bullhead. You huff again, breathing heavily for a moment until you catch your breath.

"Alright Weiss, hang on tight."

She rolls her eyes.

"Please... as if I would hang on to-"

She's cut off by you retracting the hilt, carrying the both of you to the Bullhead.

"YEE-HAW!"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU (Y/N)!"

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 **I'M ALIIIIIIIIVE! And 1.5 BILLION apologies that this chapter wasn't out sooner, I had spent the last month writing more, but only now decided to split this into two chapters instead of one huge chapter; as such, part two will be out soon (hopefully), so look out for that.**

 **So, you may have noticed that I changed Glynda's Semblance a bit, from just telekinesis to full-blown ESP. If you know everything that entails, then it's FAR more powerful and flexible. I'll be doing this for multiple Semblances, making them more powerful and potent as I see fit. In fact I've already done it in this chapter if you can spot it.**

 **I have more to say about the plot of this two-parter, i.e. you and Weiss, but I'll save it for part two, along with a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! So I'll see you then, peace!**


	7. Chapter 7 Weiss, Weiss Baby (Part 2)

**7\. Weiss, Weiss Baby (Part 2)**

Glynda takes a quick glance at her Scroll; the hour is almost up and no one has made it yet. She sighs as the Bullhead's pilot gets her attention.

"Uh, Professor? Are you sure we shouldn't be worried about that sword in the hull?"

Glynda huffs, knowing exactly who that sword belongs to.

"Yes, it's fine; it's one of the student's weapons."

The pilot shrugs, heading back to his seat.

"Well alright, as long as we aren't under attack."

A rustling in the bushes catches Glynda's attention; it was Ruby, Blake, Yang and Orchid. She raises an eyebrow, wondering where you and Weiss were, and decides to ask the girls.

"Hey, we're here!" Yang chirps.

"Yes! Orchid you did it!" Ruby yells, enveloping Orchid in a hug.

"O-oh, I-I, i-it was n-nothing."

Glynda clears her throat, gaining the girls' attention.

"Congratulations on making it here first, but where are (Y/n) and Miss Schnee?"

The girls look at each other nervously before Yang steps forward.

"Uh... you see..."

She's cut off by the sound of you and Weiss yelling, though you were yelling in excitement while Weiss' was in fear.

"INCOMING!"

You and Weiss come flying through the trees on Onyx Rose; Weiss slips from your grip and begins falling to the ground.

"Uh oh. Weiss away!"

"YOU DUNCE! SAVE ME!"

Weiss closes her eyes and waits for the inevitable... but it never comes. She opens her eyes and sees that Glynda was holding her afloat with her Semblance; she lets the heiress down and looks up to see you crash into the side of the Bullhead.

"Ow." you groan as you fall to the ground. "And ow again."

You stand and shake your head as you sheathe your sword, and are met with Glynda and Weiss glaring at you.

"What?" you innocently ask.

"Don't you 'what' me!" Weiss snaps. "We're not finished yet!"

"I believe you are." Glynda interjects. "Miss Xiao Long was about to explain to me why you both weren't with your group."

Yang pales as all eyes switch to her.

"Uh, well, (Y/n) and Weiss got into an argument; it escalated and they started fighting. Then, they ran into the forest and instead of following them, we came here."

"Is that so...?" Glynda looks at you menacingly. "And I assume that (Y/n) was the one that started it?"

"Well... kinda."

The blonde teacher sighs, adjusting her glasses.

"I see... well, RWBY, Orchid, you're off the hook. (Y/n), I'll deal with you when we get back to Beacon."

"Now wait a minute!" you protest.

Glynda glares at you, a menacing aura radiating from her. You immediately back down, not wanting to die today.

"Um... never mind."

After a moment, Team JNPR and Cardin come out of the brush. They run over to your group near the Bullhead.

"Hey guys." Jaune greets. "Guess you beat us here huh?"

"We were like, 5 minutes ahead of you!" you exclaim. "What took you so long?"

"Oh you know... we killed a _giant_ Ursa!" Nora yells. "It was awesome; even Cardin helped!"

"Oooh lucky."

"Speaking of which... Mister Winchester, where is the rest of your team?"

"Who knows and who cares? You go find 'em."

Glynda scrunches her face at his rudeness, but complies, disappearing into the forest. A few minutes pass and she returns carrying Russel, Dove and Sky with her Semblance. She drops them in front of the group and Cardin marches up to them.

"Well, well, well..."

"Oh, h-hey Cardin." Russel nervously greets.

Cardin reaches for his mace, but Glynda stops him.

"Well, I think that's enough. You've all done an excellent job in this exercise... barring a few exceptions. But, everyone aboard the Bullhead and we'll review."

You all pack onto the ship, you still annoyed as you take a seat next to Yang, who was looking at you apologetically.

"(Y/n)... I... sorry about that."

"Eh, don't worry about it." you wave off. "You weren't exactly in a position to lie about what happened anyway."

A moment of silence occurs as the Bullhead's engines start up and it begins to fly back to Beacon, until Yang speaks back up.

"So... who won?"

You puff your chest out victoriously.

"Well, our fight may have been cut short, but I would definitely have won."

"What?!" Weiss snaps. "How can you say something so preposterous?!"

"Hey don't yell at me! Your Aura was about to be depleted, and after that... game over."

"How would you know that?"

"I don't know, I just did. Plus, you were spamming your Semblance a lot."

Weiss opens her mouth to counter you, but she doesn't. She can't deny that her Aura was running low... but how would you know that? Unless...

"Oh please! Stop acting so mysterious; you were looking at your Scroll!"

"Nope." you dismiss. "Honestly, I forgot I even had it."

"Then how did you-"

"Like I said... I just knew."

"Hmph, whatever."

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"I can't believe this!" you yell as you sit on your bed.

It was the weekend, a time where you would be able to relax and do your own thing... but Glynda had other plans.

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 _"But that's not fair!" you loudly whine._

 _"It's a punishment (Y/n); it's not supposed to be 'fair'."_

 _"Okay fine, but why do I have to be the one to apologize when Weiss was the one who started it?"_

 _Glynda scrunches her face in disbelief._

 _"As I recall, Miss Xiao Long said that you started the altercation."_

 _"No, no, I mean before that; the night before initiation, I had bumped into her, literally. I tried to help her and she yelled at me! So, you should be punishing her too."_

 _"Be that as it may, you were the one that escalated it to physical violence, which is unacceptable. So I expect you to make amends with Miss Schnee by the end of the week."_

 _"And if I refuse?"_

 _"Then I will personally see to it that you're expelled from Beacon."_

 _Your eyes widen and you glare at Glynda. She glares back and you both engage in a stare down, neither one wanting to give the other any ground. After a moment, you sigh and start to walk away._

 _"Fine... I'll do it tomorrow." you grumble._

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"S-so what are you g-going to do?"

"Well obviously I have to do it, otherwise I'll get expelled. Which means dear Orchid..." you pose dramatically. "I would be leaving you all alone."

"I-I wouldn't be a-alone. T-teams RWBY and JNPR are f-friends too."

"Orchid I'm trying to be dramatic here." you slouch.

"O-oh sorry..."

You sigh.

"Forget about it, but I could use some company for this... please?"

"Hmm n-no thanks. T-this sounds like s-something you have to do yourself."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." you deadpan, putting your jacket on. "I'm going now... hopefully I'll see you later."

"G-good luck." Orchid smiles as she cracks open a textbook.

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You knock on Team RWBY's dorm. It was after noon, so one of the girls had to be awake; buuuut if no one answered, then you'd have no choice but to-

"(Y/n)? What are you doing here?"

You look at the door and see Blake standing at the in the door frame wearing her black yukata and her signature bow.

"Hey Blake, may I come in?"

Blake pales a bit and nervously looks back into the room.

"Uh... one second."

She quickly closes the door leaving you to raise an eyebrow. You hear some clattering and a muffled yelp from Blake for a few seconds before she opens the door again, panting slightly.

"Okay... you can come in now."

You walk into the room and the first thing you see are two sets of beds stacked on top of each other held up with assorted books and rope.

"Hmm... bunk beds?"

"It was Ruby's idea."

"Well, it's a good one." you say, wandering around the room. "So much roomier."

"Yeah... do you need something or...?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry! Do you know where Weiss is?"

Blake raises an eyebrow.

"Why? I would think that she isn't exactly your most favorite person at Beacon."

"She's not." you sigh. "But Glynda's making me 'make amends' with her. I mean, she didn't even care about my perspective! Some aunt she is."

Blake giggles slightly at your ranting, even though she just wants you to leave. She stops suddenly, her amber eyes widening in realization.

"Wait... aunt?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I haven't told you guys yet have I? Yeah, apparently Glynda and my mom are sisters, so she's my aunt."

"T-then that means... about that dream you told me about..." she utters, cheeks tinted a dark red.

"Look, I know, and I'm trying not to think about it either." you say gripping her shoulders.

"But... but..."

"Blake, focus... where is Weiss?"

"R-right... she's in the library studying."

"Really? What a nerd." you chuckle. "Thanks Blake, I'll let you get back to your book."

"H-how did you-"

"Yang told me. It's also the reason why I told you specifically about my dream. I figured that you'd get some... enjoyment out of it; and I see that I was right." you wink. "And remember... No. Telling. Anyone, got it?"

Blake nods and you walk out of the room, closing the door behind you and leaving the young Faunus a blushing mess.

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You push the doors to the library open, your eyes scanning the room for Weiss. You spot her in the back, her distinctive head of white hair giving her away. You make your way over to the table Weiss was sitting at, her reading a textbook with some papers scattered around. She looks up from her book and, seeing you, scowls and resumes reading.

 _"Hey, Weiss..."_ you whisper, not wanting to raise your voice too high.

She ignores you.

 _"Wei~ss..."_ you add a singsong tone to your voice.

She continues to ignore you.

 _"Weiiiiiii-"_

"WHAT?!"

Weiss immediately covers her mouth as the people around you two look over at you.

 _"Weiss, we're in a library, keep your voice down."_ you mock quietly.

Weiss glares at you, her face turning beet red; she slams her book shut, gathers her papers and gets up to leave, but you grab onto her.

"Wait, wait Weiss. I'm sorry... and I need to talk to you."

The heiress looks at you incredulously.

"And what, pray tell, do you want? You've already insulted and embarrassed me in front of my peers."

"Y-yeah... and I wanted to apologize for that."

"Really? You want to apologize?"

"Yeah totally... even though it was totally your fault to begin with..."

"Ugh, typical." she scoffs. "Apology _not_ accepted."

She tries to walk off again, but you wrap your arms around her legs.

"Wait, please! I'm sorry! I'll do anything!"

A devilish smirk slowly appears on her face.

"Anything?"

You gulp.

"Uh... yeah, as long as you forgive me."

"Well... there are a few things I wanted to take care of today, and I could use some help."

"Yeah, okay, I can help you if I can."

Weiss smiles a bit, discerning your tone is genuine.

"Good. Meet me at the landing pad at 3, no later got it?"

You nod.

"And please make sure you shower with soap please."

"Wha- I always... soap right." you sigh.

Weiss nods and regally makes her way out of the library; you sigh as you look over the papers that Junior gave you. There was supposed to be a White Fang operation in Vale today and you were going to... ask some questions to try and find Rojo, but now that's completely shot thanks to Weiss.

"Great... this better not take long." you grumble.

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You trudge your way to the landing pad for the airships, Onyx Rose in hand. You spot Weiss standing there next to a medium-sized passenger ship, the Schnee family crest on the side. You pick up the pace to reach her; she sees you coming and scowls at you, crossing her arms.

"You're late." she snarks.

"By like, one minute."

"Still late. And why do you have your weapon?"

"The better question is... why don't you have yours?"

"Because I don't feel the need to advertise it all the time."

You roll your eyes.

"Whatever, can we just go please?"

The door of the airship slides open and you both step inside and take seats opposite one another. The interior was spacious enough, with light blue leather seats and a polished white tiled floor. There was a small cabin for the pilot, separating them from the passengers.

"Well, this is cozy." you remark.

"I would hope so, I asked for it specifically and my father was more than happy to oblige." Weiss states proudly.

 _'Daddy's girl huh? Not surprised in the slightest.'_

You set Onyx Rose in your lap and bring your arms behind your head as the airship makes its way to Vale. You notice Weiss fiddling with her Scroll and speak up.

"What'cha doing?"

"Oh, just making sure that everything is in order for today."

"This isn't going to take long is it?"

Weiss eyes you suspiciously.

"Why? Did you not want to apologize?"

"No, no, no I do! I was just wondering is all."

Weiss narrows her eyes at you, dubious of your true intentions.

"It'll take as long as it takes (Y/n), got it?"

"Oh yeah, yeah sure." you confirm, nodding your head vigorously.

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You and Weiss step off the airship; you stretch, thankful that you're able to stand again. You take a moment to take in your surroundings, and it's clear that you're in the more... upscale side of Vale, evidenced by the people wearing more expensive looking clothing and the fancy stores and restaurants lining the streets.

"Great, I stick out like a sore thumb." you mutter.

"Just stay close to me and don't say anything stupid."

"If you were so worried about it, then why'd you bring me here?"

"Because shut up; now let's go. Ah! Wait a minute! Leave your sword on the airship."

"But-"

"Leave. It."

You groan as you hand Onyx Rose over to the pilot.

"Take care of her."

"Of course sir." he bows.

"We'll be going now. I'll contact you when we're ready to return to Beacon."

"Very good Miss Schnee."

"Come (Y/n), we're burning daylight."

Weiss marches off and you sigh, reluctantly following her.

"Yes _Miss Schnee._ " you mock in an exaggerated tone

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You and Weiss walk your way down the street to your first stop; Weiss walking as regally as ever, perfect posture and head held high. You however, were slouching at the position you were in; that, and the fact that some people were giving you questioning looks.

"Why is everyone looking at us like that?"

"Most likely because you're with me." Weiss states matter-of-factly.

You shrug, seeing her point.

"I see your reputation precedes you."

"Yeah..." she says sadly, which doesn't go unnoticed by you.

"Hey, maybe they think we're dating." you joke trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh please! Why would they think that?"

"Oh you know… you're a cute girl... I'm a good looking guy..."

Weiss smacks the back of your head.

"Ow!"

"D-dunce! Don't go saying things like that so casually!"

"What? Are you not cute?"

"Shut up!"

"You know, you are way too easy to rile up." you chuckle. "It shows in how you fight as well."

"And how would you know?" she question, a bit offended.

"You can discern a lot about a person by fighting them. I could give you some pointers if you want."

"Please, if I need your advice on combat, I'll ask for it." Weiss huffs. "But if I were to ask, what would you say?"

"Well for one, you're too stiff and rehearsed; you've gotta be more fluid and instinctive, like air."

"Air?"

"Yeah. When my mom was training me, she taught me three essential things: that, to always use your surroundings to your advantage, and to study your opponent thoroughly in order to find and exploit their weaknesses."

Weiss brings her hand to her chin in a thinking manner.

"Hmm, that does explain how you fight." she mutters. "You really think I'm stiff?"

"Like you've got a stick where the sun doesn't shine."

"Thank you for putting it so eloquently." she deadpans. "Anyway, we're here."

You both stop in front of a Dust shop called 'Dust the Two of Us', which made you laugh.

"Do you have to laugh at every terrible pun?"

"If they're funny, yeah."

Weiss sighs, opening the door to the shop.

"I swear, you and Yang were made for each other."

You both walk in and see the various Dust vials and crystals on display around the shop. You both walk up to the counter, behind which was a middle-aged woman in a plain white button up shirt and black pants, her dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. She smiles warmly at you both, her brown eyes widening when she sees Weiss.

"M-Miss Schnee, you're early! We're getting your order ready right now; please forgive us!"

"It's quite alright; like you said, we're early so take your time."

The woman takes a deep breath and bows.

"T-thank you Miss Schnee! We won't keep you and your boyfriend waiting more than a few minutes."

Weiss turns red, her eyes darting between you and the woman.

"This fool is _not_ my boyfriend!"

"O-oh my sincerest apologies. I mean... you kind of look cute together."

"Told you so." you smile victoriously.

"You be quiet!"

You burst out laughing as Weiss rolls her eyes; even the woman giggles a bit, covering her mouth as she does so. Moments later, a tall, skinny man in a black turtleneck and blue jeans carrying a silver case comes in through the front door. He scowls, his navy blue eyes locking on Weiss.

"Oh, you're already here... you're not harassing my wife are you?"

The woman frantically waves her hands in front of her while shaking her head.

"Oh n-no, no harassing here! In fact, they've been very polite."

"Good." he slightly smiles, walking around to the counter, his eyes landing on you. "Who's he?"

You smirk and bow regally.

"Why I am-"

"-My assistant!"

You nearly fall over yourself hearing that.

"Say what now?"

"Your assistant? He's not really dressed for it" the man questions.

"Yes well, good help is hard to find nowadays you know?"

"Hmm... I suppose." the man grumbles, placing the case on the counter. "Everything you ordered is here; fire, ice and lightning rounds, along with gravity crystals, and a new revolving Dust chamber."

Weiss nods and pulls out a shiny silver card with the Schnee Dust Company logo in the middle.

"How much do I owe?"

"O-oh you don't owe us anything Miss Schnee." the woman waves off.

The man slams his hand on the counter, startling everyone in the vicinity.

"Like hell she doesn't! This stuff wasn't cheap, especially the gravity Dust! Besides, she can afford it right?"

"O-of course I can!" Weiss snaps.

"Then how's 3000 sound?"

"No problem!"

Weiss hands the card to the man; he takes it and scans the card, typing on the small personal computer on the counter. He finishes, handing the card back to Weiss.

"Thank you for your patronage Miss Schnee." he smugly says.

Weiss glares at him for a second before snatching up the case and marching out of the shop, you following after her.

"Well that was... pleasant." you joke. "I take it they weren't so fond of you?"

"Not me specifically, but the Schnee name in general. Most people think that we're stuck up, tyrannical snobs, and I strive to undo that stereotype." Weiss proudly states.

 _'And you're doing a great job so far'_ "I see... I wish you the best of luck."

"I don't need luck, I have skill."

"Uh huh, sure. Another question though, why do you need to buy Dust? Aren't you the heiress to the largest Dust mining company in the world?"

Weiss scoffs.

"I would rather buy Dust from a competitor using my father's money than get it for free from him."

"I suppose I can understand that." you laugh.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Imagine the look on your father's face when he sees his little girl bought someone else's Dust!" you recite dramatically. "A betrayal of the highest order!"

To your surprise, Weiss actually giggles at your antics.

"He'd probably be as red as Ruby's cape!"

"Glad to see you're finally _warming up_ Ice Queen."

Weiss stops laughing and groans, casing a glare at you.

"Shut up!"

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You've hit several stops in Vale with Weiss: a clothing store, weapons shop and a school supply store... and you're currently carrying everything that she bought, including the Dust from the shop; and the worst part of it is that she kept referring to you as her assistant the whole time! You, however, weren't really in any position to protest unfortunately, so you just grinned and bore it. You trudge your way back to the airship while Weiss walks ahead of you, a contented smile on her face; you're just thankful that this is almost over.

"And you're sure you're done now Weiss?"

"For the tenth time (Y/n), yes!" she tiredly sighs. "Why do you keep asking?"

"Uh... no reason." you dismiss.

"Oh no you don't! You've been avoiding that question every time I asked you, and I demand that you tell me what you're so in a rush to do after this!"

"I told you that it's nothing. Besides, it's isn't your business anyway." you snap.

"Fine, if you won't tell me, then I won't forgive you and Miss Goodwitch will expel you."

You pale and scurry ahead of Weiss and look her right in the face.

"You heard that?"

"I caught a bit of it." she smirks.

"That means this whole time... you are evil."

"Whether I knew or not didn't matter, you didn't really have a choice in the matter either way."

"Damn it... alright fine, I'll tell you when we get back to the airship."

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"And that's it." you say crossing your arms.

"So, you're just going to attack the White Fang... alone...?"

"Not 'attack'!" you protest. "Just... talk to; and if they attack, I will defend myself."

"Why are you even messing with them in the first place?!"

"Because they're bad, obviously."

Weiss squints her eyes at you.

"I don't believe you, at least not entirely."

You groan and grab Onyx Rose from the airship, inspecting it to make sure there's no damage to it.

"Look, I don't care what you believe... I'm outta here."

"Hold it!" Weiss shouts, retrieving Myrtenaster from the airship. "I'm going with you."

"Why?" you scowl at her. "This doesn't involve you."

"Perhaps, but I'm not letting you do something so dangerous alone." the heiress says adamantly.

You sigh.

"Fine... but you better not slow me down. Now come on."

Weiss nods and follows your lead; she immediately turns back to the pilot, who gives a knowing nod before returning to his seat. She turns back to see you walking further and further away and runs to catch up to you.

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Two White Fang members lean on a stack of crates outside of a large warehouse in downtown Vale. They were tasked with guarding the crates filled with Dust and Atlesian equipment with a Bullhead parked nearby to transport them. One yawns, turning to his companion: a Faunus with a pair of horns on his head.

"Man... why do we get the most boring jobs?"

"Hey, guard duty is a quintessential part of our operations."

"'Quintessential'? I swear I am burning that word-of-the-day calendar that you bought."

"Well it's true!"

"Whatever." the Faunus dismisses, pulling out a cigarette. "Got a light?"

His companion pulls out a lighter.

"Yo."

"I wouldn't if I were you; those things'll kill you."

The two Faunus look around with panicked looks on their faces.

"Who's there? Where are you?"

"Uh... up here."

They turn to see you standing on top of the crates, Onyx Rose in your hand and a smirk on your face.

"Hey... isn't that...?"

"Yeah, it's the 'Bane of the White Fang'."

"Oooh, I have a moniker... cool."

You jump from the crates, flip and dive kick the horned Faunus in the face, your heel connecting with his chin. He falls to the ground unconscious; you land, turning swiftly and unsheathing Onyx Rose, the tip of the blade pointing at the other Faunus' throat.

"I'm only gonna ask once... where is Rojo?"

The terrified Faunus points over to the warehouse.

"H-he's in t-there... please d-don't hurt m-me..."

"Don't worry..." you smile and sheathe Onyx Rose before knocking him on the head with the butt of your sheath, knocking him out. "I won't."

You look around, confirming no one else was around.

"Okay Weiss, you can come out now."

The heiress steps out from behind the crates, a scowl plastered on her face.

"Why exactly did I have to hide behind the crates?"

"Because you'd just cramp my style."

"Oh please." she rolls her eyes.

"Come on, in there." you order gesturing over to the warehouse.

"So I heard; and who is this Rojo person?"

"Look, not now okay?"

"Fine." she huffs. "But I expect answers later."

You both creep over to the door and slide it open, breaking off from Weiss as you sneak inside. Sure enough, there was a young man walking amongst the stacks of crates in a sleeveless White Fang uniform, showing off his skinny but muscular arms. He had a head full of shaggy bright red hair, a pair of bear ears hidden within. There was another person walking with him: a short woman with brown and pink hair in a similar colored outfit carrying an umbrella.

"So all of this is going to the main hideout?" Rojo asks.

The woman just nods, not opting to say anything.

"What the hell do they need all this Dust for anyway?"

"Yes, what does a terrorist organization need with a bunch of highly volatile Dust?" you rhetorically ask as you step out in front of the two. "Hello Rojo... and short lady I've never seen before."

The woman pouts slightly while Rojo takes a defensive stance.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, you haven't heard? The 'Bane of the White Fang' is looking for you." you point at him.

"Me?"

"Yeah, your family wants you back home."

Rojo frowns, taking a step forward.

"And how would you know what my family wants?"

You were about to answer, but Weiss suddenly comes up behind Rojo and the multicolor-haired woman.

"You criminals may as well surrender. I've contacted the authorities and they should arrive here shortly." she says holding up her Scroll.

"What?!" you and Rojo yell at her, after which he glares at you.

You put your hands up innocently.

"Hey, I didn't want to bring her."

Rojo groans and turns to the petite woman next to him.

"Neo, go start up the Bullhead, we're leaving."

The woman, now known as 'Neo', nods and skips out of the warehouse. Rojo then turns to you and cracks his knuckles.

"Uh... I don't suppose you'll come quietly?" you joke.

"Not. A. Chance." he smirks.

Rojo dodges a stab from Weiss, grabbing her weapon with his bare hands and kicking her toward you; this causes her to release her weapon as she skids to a stop in front of you.

"You really need to keep a better grip on your weapon." you casually observe.

"You be quiet!" she snaps.

"Hmm... this is a fine weapon." Rojo compliments. "Nice weight, sturdy looking metal, I'll take it."

He grips the blade of Myrtenaster with both hands and they begin to take on the same shiny silver color as the rapier. It spreads up his arms, to his shoulders, stopping at his head, but not covering his hair. He throws Myrtenaster back to Weiss, it clanging on the floor before her. He pounds his fists together, a metallic clang sounding as he does so.

"How...?"

"Must be his Semblance." you rationalize. "That's so cool!"

Weiss rolls her eyes and retrieves her weapon and rushes Rojo, thrusting Myrtenaster at him. It makes contact with his stomach, a loud metallic clang erupting throughout the warehouse. Rojo smirks and tries to punch Weiss, she sidesteps and goes in for a horizontal slash, which is blocked by a metal forearm. Weiss struggles for a bit, but is eventually pushed back. She summons a speed glyph underneath her and blitzes the Faunus with quick successive strikes, made even quicker thanks to her augmentation, but he blocks them all with his metallic arms. Before her glyph wears off, she maneuvers her way behind him and kicks him in the back; however, he doesn't move an inch.

"You didn't think that would work did you?"

"Nope!" you shout as you jump on Rojo's back. "Just a distraction!"

You lock your legs around Rojo's waist, bring Onyx Rose around his neck and pull your weight backwards, bringing the Faunus crashing down on top of you.

"That... was a bad idea." you groan. "Now... you're coming with me nice and quiet."

"Not on your life." Rojo retorts as his Semblance wears off, his flesh returning to normal.

"Yeah, sure." you deadpan. "Weiss, knock him out!"

She was about to do just that when Neo came seemingly out of nowhere and kicks her away, knocking her into a crate of Dust. You were about to yell, but the petite woman runs up and kicks you in the head. You recoil and hold your head in pain, allowing Rojo to escape your grasp.

"Neo... why?" you whine.

She responds by giving you a cheeky smirk and shrugging. Rojo puts his hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention.

"Are we ready?"

Neo nods.

"Good." he turns to you. "Well 'Bane', it's been fun... not really."

You quickly unsheathe your sword and slash at Rojo. It looks like you hit him, but him and Neo shatter into pieces like glass.

"What the?"

You run outside, just in time to see the Bullhead in the distance with Rojo, Neo and the two Faunus guards inside. You angrily punch the side of the crate, leaving a dent in the wood.

"Damn it!"

Weiss walks up to you, her rapier at her hip, dusting herself off.

"Alright, now that that's finished, I demand answers."

You groan and facepalm.

"Fine! You want answers, then follow me." you say walking off.

"Hey, where are we going now?! Shouldn't we at least wait for the authorities?!"

You don't answer her and keep walking.

"Ugh, dunce." she mutters and runs after you.

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You knock on the door to Amari's home; moments later, she answers the door dressed in a bright yellow nightgown. She sees you and Weiss and smiles.

"Oh hello (Y/n), glad to see that you haven't forgotten about us." she playfully remarks.

You chuckle and sheepishly rub the back of your head.

"Hehe, yeah... Beacon is pretty difficult."

"It wouldn't be as difficult if you actually paid attention in class." Weiss lectures.

"Ugh, how long are you gonna go on about that?"

"As long as I need to until you actually take it to heart... or until you drop out."

"You see what I have to deal with on a daily basis?" you sigh gesturing to Weiss.

"And who is she?" Amari asks giving you a knowing look. "Your girlfriend?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?!" Weiss groans.

"I can only say 'I told you so' so many times."

"Oh stuff it."

"THERE YOU ARE!"

"Oh no..." you groan.

Amari steps out of the way to reveal an angry Azul in her pajamas, her blue hair done up in a ponytail. She marches up to you and grabs the collar of your shirt, pulling you down to her level.

"Where have you been?! It's been weeks!"

"I-I know, I know... can we come in and talk about it?"

"We?" Azul's eyes move to Weiss, who's silently enjoying your discomfort. "Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Weiss sighs, tired of hearing this for the tenth time today.

"Ma'am, may we come in?"

"Of course; you can share some stories about Beacon." Amari leads Weiss inside while Azul drags you in.

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"So... Professor Goodwitch is your... aunt?" Weiss asks.

"Is that how you got into Beacon?" Azul chimes in, glaring at you.

"No! Maybe? I don't know... Glynda didn't mention it when we first met months ago; maybe she didn't want to show favoritism or something."

"What about Ozpin?"

"Well, he's the one who told me so..."

"Well I think it's wonderful that you've found friends and even family at Beacon." Amari says with a smile.

"I'm sorry, aren't you two...?"

Amari dismisses Weiss' question by shaking her head.

"Oh no, we're not related."

"Yeah, I was actually looking for my mom in Vale when I got... sidetracked. By the way..." your expression becomes more serious. "I saw _him_ tonight."

Amari and Azul look to you, seriousness and shock in their expressions.

"A-are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, positive; red hair, teal eyes, bear ears, it was him."

"I assume this has to do with a Rojo?" Weiss guesses.

"Yeah... I suppose I should begin from the beginning."

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 _You were walking down a street in downtown Vale pondering the position you're in; between owing your life to a criminal and getting a job at a seedy nightclub as a glorified bouncer, you were in a fix indeed, but you've definitely had worse weeks. You keep walking and hear a commotion from a nearby alleyway; looking down it, you see a group of three brawny men assaulting two female Faunus, a young one with blue hair and an older one with yellow hair; two of the men were holding the older one against the wall and the other holding the younger one back._

 _"Let me go you big oaf!"_

 _"Aww, don't be like that. We just wanted to have some... fun."_

 _"Fun with a fifteen year old?! You're a bunch of fucking sickos!" the young Faunus yells, her body heating up as she activates her Semblance. "I have half a mind to-"_

 _"Azul that's enough!"_

 _"But mom-"_

 _"But nothing, don't make the situation any worse... please." the older Faunus pleads._

 _One of the men holding her chuckles, releasing her and walking around to her front._

 _"Yeah kid, listen to your mommy!"_

 _He punches the woman hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and making her double over in pain._

 _"MOM!" Azul cries, tears welling in her eyes._

 _"Now then..." the man pulls out a switchblade and holds it to the woman's throat. "Shall we begin?"_

 _Suddenly, he's hit in the head by a sheathed Onyx Rose in the head, knocking him down the alley. The sword bounces back to your hand as you stand there, a smirk in your face._

 _"Oh sorry, I'm not interrupting am I?"_

 _The men share a look before releasing the Faunus. Azul rushes to her mother's side, assuring that she's okay. The two men stand before you, but you're not the slightest bit intimidated._

 _"You're gonna pay for that!"_

 _"Yeah, you should learn to stay out of other people's business!"_

 _"Ah but you see, this_ is _my business. I'm a Huntsman, so helping people is what I do."_

 _One of the men snorts._

 _"Yeah people. Last I checked, these animals don't qualify."_

 _You scrunch your face at this._

 _"I'm sure there are plenty of people that would disagree with you... and I'm sure there are plenty who would agree. Besides, I'm quite fond of animals... except elephants, don't ask."_

 _"Enough of this get him!"_

 _The two men rush sloppily at you; in one fluid motion you easily duck under a punch from one and knock him on the head with the pommel of your sword, knocking him out. You follow through, sweeping the other's feet and driving your foot into his stomach. He flies into the wall and slumps down, unconscious. You huff and walk over to the two Faunus, the older one coughing a bit._

 _"Are you both okay?"_

 _"Yes... we're fine... thank you." the blonde Faunus huffs._

 _"Don't mention it. Say, you wouldn't happen to know where the nearest hotel is would you? I'm... kinda lost."_

 _The woman gets up, the blue haired girl supporting her._

 _"Well... if you're looking for a place to stay... why not stay with us?"_

 _"MOM!" Azul protests._

 _"Are... you sure about that?"_

 _"It's the least we could do, right Azul?"_

 _"I... guess."_

 _"Well I thank you." you bow. "I'm (Y/n) by the way."_

 _"Amari; and this is my daughter Azul."_

 _"Charmed." you bow again._

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"And that's how I ended up living with these two. It was originally going to be for a day, but after I found out about Rojo, I couldn't ignore it."

"But he's a member of the White Fang, why would you care?" Weiss asks, contempt in her voice.

Azul was about to say something, but Amari stops her; she sighs before speaking.

"Rojo was always on the fence about the White Fang, he believed in their message, though he would often disagree with their more... aggressive methods. Well, about three years ago, Rojo and Azul's father went missing; a few days later the authorities informed me that he was..." she takes a moment to compose herself and wipes away the tears welling in her eyes. "That he was found beaten to death in an alleyway downtown."

You and Azul hang your heads while Weiss was horrified.

"That's horrible! Why would anyone do that?!"

"Probably because he was a Faunus." Azul says bitterly, glaring at Weiss. "Us animals don't matter, right?"

Weiss just remains silent, not in the position to say anything.

"Anyway, that was the last straw for him, so he left to join those... monsters; and when (Y/n) heard this, he insisted on bringing him back home."

"I see, that's... rather noble of you (Y/n)." Weiss compliments.

"What can I say?" you puff out your chest. "I'm a noble guy."

"And not the least bit modest." Azul mutters.

"I heard that!"

Weiss stands from her seat and gives a regal bow to Amari.

"Well, it's been a pleasure speaking with you both, but we have to be getting back to Beacon."

"Oh of course, don't let us keep you two." Amari smiles.

You all stand from the table while Weiss types on her Scroll; she finishes and puts it away, turning to you.

"Our airship will be here momentarily.

"Good, I really don't wanna walk all the way back." you say stretching. "I'll see you both later."

"You better!" Azul yells. "Now that I know that my brother's in Vale-"

"Azul! You remember our deal right?" Amari snaps. "No helping (Y/n) until you're back in Signal."

"I remember mom..." Azul groans.

"Good. Goodnight (Y/n); and it was lovely meeting you Miss Schnee."

"T-thank you Miss Ursus, goodnight." Weiss bows.

"Night Amari, night Azul." you wave.

Amari and Azul wave back before heading back inside, closing the door behind them leaving you and Weiss alone in the yard.

"So... why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you doing this for them? It's not your problem, so why?"

You sigh.

"My mom always told me that Huntsmen and Huntresses are supposed to be selfless, helping people and expecting nothing in return; so I'm making sure I uphold that."

Weiss smiles at your answer.

"You really miss her don't you?"

"Yeah." you smile wryly. "She was all I had since I was a baby."

"What about your father?"

"Mom told me that he died before I was born so..."

"Hmm... well having no father is better than having one like mine." the heiress says bitterly.

"Hey, that can't be true! You're Weiss Schnee! I can't imagine your childhood being any worse than mine."

"Well, it's true. My father wasn't exactly the supportive type, at least not in the way a parent should be." she takes a deep breath, staring up at the night sky. "He always demanded obedience and perfection from everyone in his 'circle', me, my brother Whitley, my sister Winter... mother... and if he didn't get that, then things would turn... ugly."

"Did he... give you that scar?"

Weiss snaps her head over to you.

"N-no, I got this during a training exercise. Besides, he would never be physically abusive, just verbally and emotionally."

"Yeesh."

"Tell me about it. Winter couldn't take his constant surveillance, expectations and abuse, so she joined the military."

You give a dry chuckle.

"Wow."

"And so, father made me the heir of his company, meaning all that responsibility and expectation came crashing down on me, and the one person that I found any comfort in was gone." Weiss rants, wandering around the yard.

"Uhh, Weiss?"

"And to make matters worse, the White Fang started attacking Dust shipments and board members, which made father unhappy; and if he was unhappy, then I was unhappy."

"Weiss..."

"Mother always tried to reason with him, and every time it ended with an argument and mother drinking from a wine bottle! I couldn't take it anymore! My father is a cruel, calculating, degrading, abusive son of a-"

"WEISS!"

She stops and turns to you, breathing heavily and her cheeks flushed red.

"What?!"

"I... think I got it."

Weiss regains her composure, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her face.

"I-I'm sorry, I got a little... heated."

"No, no it's fine." you wave off. "You sounded like you needed to vent."

"Yeah, I really did."

Moments later, Weiss' personal airship arrives, descending to your level. The doors open and you both step inside, taking your seats as the doors close. The airship takes off, taking you both back to Beacon.

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It was a quiet ride back to Beacon, neither of you really wanting to strike up a conversation after Weiss' tirade. You were both walking back to your dorms carrying the things Weiss bought.

"Um, (Y/n)?"

"Yo."

"I've been thinking and... I'm sorry."

"If this is about earlier-"

"It isn't. My behavior towards you was based on me believing you being just a careless, irresponsible idiot; but after today I'm starting to see you in a different light."

You lightly chuckle.

"You're not the only one; I thought you were just a stuck up, egotistical snob, but after hearing everything... you had it pretty hard. So, I'm sorry."

Weiss smiles.

"I accept your apology."

"And I yours."

You walk a little longer and stop in front of RWBY's dorm. Weiss unlocks the door with her Scroll; she cracks open the door and places the bags inside as you do the same. She turns to you a smile on her face.

"I... thank you (Y/n)."

"No problem. If you need to vent again, let me know, I'll listen to ya."

"Hopefully I won't need to, but thank you."

You open up your arms for a hug.

"Umm..."

"Come on, you know you wanna."

Weiss rolls her eyes but returns the hug.

"If you tell anyone about this, I will hurt you."

"Hehe, noted."

You both release each other and you walk off back to your own dorm.

"Night Weiss."

"Goodnight (Y/n). Oh and tell Orchid I'm sorry as well!"

"Will do." you wave as you walk around the corner.

Weiss slowly opens the door fully and steps inside the room. She quietly closes the door as to not wake her teammates who were sleeping, to her knowledge. She slips into the bathroom to get ready for bed, coming out moments later to see Yang standing at the door.

 _"Wah! Yang, what is wrong with you?!"_

 _"Sorry. So, where you been?"_

 _"If you must know, I was out in Vale with (Y/n)."_

 _"On like... a date?"_

 _"What?! No! We were just picking up some things that I ordered."_

 _"So you're telling me that you and (Y/n) went out, and nothing happened?"_

 _"Precisely. Why do you care anyway?"_

Yang feels her cheeks heat up.

 _"I-I don't. N-not at all."_

Weiss rolls her eyes.

 _"Uh huh, sure... go to bed Yang."_

 _"Uhh, yeah... right... night Weiss."_

 _"Night."_

Weiss and Yang crawl back into their respective beds. Minutes later Weiss is fast asleep while Yang is wide awake, thinking about you. Did Weiss like you? Did you like Weiss? As ridiculous as it sounds, questions like these hurt her somewhat. What was happening?! No other guy has ever gotten to her as you have; it's like you put some sort of spell on her or something. She finally closes her eyes, beginning to drift off to sleep; she wasn't sure if these feelings for you were genuine or not, but she was determined to have an answer.

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 **Whew. I actually got this chapter done before the month was up! If I keep this pace up, I'll be done Volume 1 before summer ends... probably. Anyway, I am glad I split this whole storyline into two otherwise we'd be looking at a 14,000+ word chapter so... yeah.**

 **So, you may have been noticing that you and Weiss have had some tension building for the past few chapters, so this two-parter brought this to a head and resolved it... for the most part, but that's an issue for another day. And no Weiss does not like you if you're curious.**

 **Finally, the special announcement... I'm looking for a Beta Reader, because Lord knows that I need it. I need someone to bounce ideas off of, to catch any mistakes and inconsistencies, and maybe we could collab on a future story... maybe? Anyway, PM me if you're interested and don't mind being spoiled on some aspects of this story.**

 **That's all for now folks! As usual tell me what you think and I'll see you all next time!**

 **Also over 3,000 reads! You all rock!**


	8. Chapter 8 Going Out with a Yang

**8\. Going Out with a Yang**

Glynda stands in Ozpin's office, before said Headmaster's scrutinizing gaze. She knows full well why he's called her here, and she's more than ready to defend her position.

"So... you threatened (Y/n) with expulsion." he states plainly.

Glynda defiantly crosses her arms.

"That I did; his behavior lately has been unacceptable."

"Yes, but does that really merit being expelled?"

"Are you suggesting that I'm being irrational?"

"In a way; it's very unlike you Glynda. As I recall, there's only one person that could rile you up so." Ozpin smirks.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you're letting the fact that (Y/n) is Rhea's son cloud your judgement."

"I... that's absurd!"

"Is it? I know that (Y/n) reminds you so much of her; I'll admit that it took me aback as well, but you have to remember that he is his own person, and you must see him as such."

"I... I know, but it isn't exactly my fault."

"What I said still stands Glynda. Listen, I can understand where you're coming from; take some time to think on it. I know you'll come to the correct conclusion; you're dismissed." Ozpin smiles, getting up from his chair, cane in hand, and walks over to the window.

Glynda hangs her head in thought, it's true that you're your own person, but whenever she looks at you she sees the same sister that she always doted on. The sister that she laughed with and cried with, the sister she scolded whenever she did something wrong or stupid even though she was supposed to be older... the same sister that she's infuriated at. She sighs, giving Ozpin a somber look.

"I understand, thank you sir." she turns to leave, but stops herself short. "Have you... seen or heard from her?"

"I haven't." Ozpin answers not turning to look at her. "If she wishes to make herself known, she will."

Glynda casts a worried look at the Headmaster.

"You don't think she knows he's here do you?"

Ozpin chuckles dryly.

"Possibly, possibly not."

"Are you... scared?"

"I'm still human Glynda, it's only natural to feel fear." he finally turns to her. "Are you?"

"I'm petrified." she answers, walking to the elevator to leave.

Ozpin turns back to the window as the elevator takes Glynda back down.

 _'I know it's difficult Glynda, but you have to put the past behind you. Not just for your sake, but for his as well.'_

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 _You were tossing and turning in your bed as you sleep. You were having a nightmare, one that had been recurring off and on for months. You were running through the forest, other shadowy people running with you. The weirdest part was that you would look ahead and see yourself running too. 'You' look back and see the red eyes of several Grimm gaining on you all; a person is taken out by a Beowolf, their screams echoing in 'your' ears. One after another, the people were snatched up, the wall of Grimm closing in on you. 'You' close 'your' eyes and cover 'your' ears to block everything out, but 'you' trip and fall, 'your' shortsword clattering to the ground before 'you'. 'You' see yourself stop and turn back to help 'you', but 'you' wave yourself off._

 _"Never mind me, just go!"_

 _"But-"_

 _"GO! Get to the village and tell the Elder! He'll know what to do!"_

 _You reluctantly nod and run off, leaving 'yourself' at the mercy of the Grimm. 'You' look back and see a tidal wave of black with uncountable red eyes; 'you' close 'your' eyes and brace 'yourself' as the wave crashes down upon 'you'._

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You shoot up in your bed, panting heavily with a cold sweat running down your face. You hold your shoulder tightly, a phantom pain throbbing in it. You dart your head around the room, confirming that you were still in your dorm. You wipe the sweat from your face and the pain subsides in your shoulder, causing you to release your grip and drop your arm on the bed.

"Calm down (Y/n), it was just a dream." you mutter to yourself. "But it feels so real every time."

You take deep breaths, calming yourself down; as you were, Orchid walks out of the bathroom, fully dressed.

"(Y-Y/n) are you a-alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine." you force a smile.

"A-are you sure? Y-you were tossing and t-turning a lot."

"No, no, I'm fine." you wave off. "I... appreciate the concern though."

Orchid brings her hand up to her chin, thinking.

"Hmmm... o-okay. W-well what are you g-going to do today?"

You smirk and lay back down.

"Heh, nothing; in fact I'm probably gonna sleep all day."

 _ **Knock. Knock. Knock.**_

Orchid walks over to the door and opens it, revealing Glynda standing there, a friendly smile on her face.

"Hello Miss Young; is (Y/n) here?"

"Y-yes he's here."

"Good. If I may, I wish to speak with him... alone if that's alright."

"O-oh it's no problem P-Professor, I was j-just leaving anyway."

"More studying I presume?"

"A-actually, yes."

"You know, you could stand to focus a bit more on combat. This is a combat school after all."

"O-oh well, you know that's n-not really my forte." Orchid shyly says, fidgeting with her hands.

"Just some food for thought." Glynda sighs. "Have a nice day Miss Young."

"T-thank you Professor, y-you have a good day as w-well." she bows and walks off into the hallway.

"I'll try." the teacher mutters.

Glynda takes a deep breath walks into your dorm; she sees you fast asleep on you bed. She stifles a laugh and shakes her head at you snoring away. She uses her Semblance to lift you up and drop you onto the floor. You instantly wake up and start looking around the room.

"Orchid, I swear to God..."

"You swear to God what?"

You look to the source of the voice and, seeing Glynda, you let out a girlish yelp and scramble underneath the covers of your bed, where you're safe. You poke your head out, a look of sheer terror on your face.

"L-look, I don't know what Weiss told you, b-but I apologized and she accepted it so-"

"Yes, I know you apologized. I just finished talking with Miss Schnee."

"Oh... well?"

"Well, I had to basically promise her that I wouldn't expel you." Glynda laughs lightly at the memory.

"R-really?"

"Yes. Whatever happened between you two seemed to have had quite the effect on her."

"What can I say? I'm a very influential person." you chuckle.

"Yes, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Glynda deadpans. "Anyway, I just came to tell you that and to apologize myself. My actions were rash and unwarranted... so I'm sorry."

You chuckle lightly, rubbing the back of your neck.

"Well... as much as I would love to guilt trip you about this, I guess I was being pretty unreasonable. So, as much as I didn't like it, you were in the right." you say sincerely.

That took Glynda by surprise; out of all the years she's known Rhea, she's never heard her admit that she was wrong about... well anything really. Perhaps... perhaps you weren't as much like Rhea as she thought.

"I... appreciate that you understand my position, and that I did only what I thought was necessary."

"Yeah... I can imagine it isn't easy dealing with teenagers every day." you laugh.

"Believe me, sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth."

You both laugh and stare at each other for a bit, an awkward silence permeating through the room. Not wanting it to be silent for much longer, you speak up.

"So, uh, how does this work? Do I still call you Professor? Glynda? Auntie Goodwitch?" you snicker.

"W-what? How do you-"

"Ozpin told me." you plainly state.

"I see... did he tell you anything else?"

You shift around, now sitting on the edge of your bed.

"Nope, he said that you would tell me."

"O-oh..."

"So... where is she? What happened to my mom?"

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Yang yawns as she sits up in her bed, stretching her arms over her head and sticking her chest out.

"Ugh, finally you're awake. I thought you'd never stop snoring." came Weiss' voice.

"Hey, I don't snore!"

"Yes, you do." Blake deadpans.

"Well at least it's not as bad as your 'night reading'." Yang teases.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." she stutters, face red. "And why did you tell (Y/n) about... you know."

"Hey he was asking what you're always reading, so..."

"I'm not always reading... that... and you know it!"

"Can you both please?!" Weiss yells, breaking up their argument. "Yang, stop teasing Blake, and Blake, stop being so perverted!"

Yang and Blake hang their heads.

"Sorry Weiss." they say in unison.

"Honestly, why am I the one who has to deal with this? Where's Ruby?"

"GOOD MORNING TEAM RWBY!"

"Speak of the Devil..."

The chipper leader stands in the doorway, a smile on her face.

"So! What are we doing today? Weiss?"

"Well, I'm going to study with Orchid."

Ruby grimaces, sticking out her tongue.

"Bleh, studying... Blake?"

"Just probably going to read."

"Booooooriiiiiing... Yang?"

"I'm going to be working out. Care to join me?"

Ruby pales, her eyes widening and twitching a bit. She slowly backs her way over to Weiss.

"Never again, never again... so Weiss... studying?"

"Oh come on! Last time wasn't _that_ bad!"

"Yang, Ruby's arms were broken last time she worked out with you." Blake says.

"Well she should've told me she couldn't handle all that weight." Yang shrugs.

"I did! Several times!"

Yang sighs and gets up from her bed, crossing her arms.

"I need a new workout buddy."

"Don't expect me to do it." Weiss says walking out the door.

"Me neither. And don't think that JNPR or even CRDL are gonna even try with you."

"Maybe you could ask (Y/n)?" Ruby inquires, following her partner. "Weiss wait up, please!"

Yang brings a hand up to her chin; she smirks, seeing an opportunity.

"Not a bad idea sis."

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Glynda swallows the lump in her throat as she looks at you, patiently waiting for an answer. She knew that this conversation would happen eventually, but she had no idea on what to say. Does she tell you? Does she lie? No, she can't do either; however...

"(Y/n), what did Rhea tell you when she left?"

You raise an eyebrow at her question, but answer anyway.

"She said that she had a mission to do and to wait for her at home until she got back... but-"

"That was nearly 3 years ago."

"Yeah... I couldn't just sit around and wait, so I headed out to search for her, and... here I am in Vale."

"I see... you haven't heard or seen anything about her at all?"

"No, every village I've been to across the continent haven't seen her." you say looking down. "Not to be rude, but do you know where she is or not?"

Glynda takes a deep breath.

"I... don't. I'm sorry."

You groan, falling backwards onto your bed and covering your face with your hands.

"Then why am I here?! I need to be out there looking for her!"

Glynda frowns, slowly walking over to your bed and taking a seat next to you.

"I know you want to find her, but you have to understand-"

"Understand what?! She's your sister! Don't you miss her? Don't you care?"

"Of course I care!" Glynda snaps standing up. "I miss Rhea more than anyone, but... listen (Y/n)... Rhea... it's complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it! What happened?! Did she do something?"

"She's done plenty." she utters bitterly. "(Y/n), what was the first thing Rhea taught you?"

You raise an eyebrow; she must be talking about...

"That a Huntsman must be selfless, helping people and expecting nothing in return."

"Exactly. Rhea believed that with all of her heart; she had this idea that every Huntsman and Huntress was a noble, selfless hero... but she quickly got a dose of reality. The reality that not every Huntsman or Huntress was honorable, that the world wasn't exactly the fairy tale she believed it was." Glynda says, sullenly looking at the floor. "After she gave birth to you, she made sure that you were able to fend for yourself-"

"And then what? Just leave me behind? Is a stupid mission more important than her own son?!" you yell, getting more agitated.

Glynda quickly walks up to you and wraps you in a hug. You were surprised for a second, but hug back.

"I know it's hard, but you know how Rhea is; she's in no danger out there. And besides, I have no doubt that she'll turn up eventually."

"Yeah, I guess so. It must be some mission for it to take so long." you force a smile. "Thanks for telling me about this, I... feel a little better now."

"Of course (Y/n)." Glynda smiles. "I'll always be here if you need to talk."

"I'll... keep that in mind."

"And by the way... you may call me Aunt Glynda if you like."

You and Glynda smile at each other as she makes her way to the door. In her own mind, she handled it well enough; she didn't exactly lie, nor did she tell the whole truth... not yet anyway. Hopefully that won't come back to bite her later.

After she leaves, you fall back on your bed again, sighing. It's true that your mom was pretty much the toughest, most badass person you know, but you can't help but be worried. A knock on your door snaps you out of your thoughts; you get up and open the door to see Yang standing there in an orange tank-top, her emblem on the chest and black shorts in black running shoes, with her hair done up in a ponytail.

"Hey (Y/n)." she smiles.

"What's up Yang?"

"Oh, I was just going to go work out, and I was wondering if you wanted to join me."

You think for a second then smile, you definitely need to get your mind off of the conversation you and Glynda just had.

"Sure, I'm not doing anything today anyway. Just let me get ready."

Yang smiles as you close the door; you turn around and sigh.

"So much for doing nothing today." you mutter.

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You collapse on a bench outside the gymnasium. You finished your workout with Yang, though 'workout' was putting it lightly. 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, 100 reps with the weights and the equivalent of a 10 kilometer run on the treadmill. You were sweating like a pig and would dump your water bottle on your face... if you could lift your arm.

 _'Is this woman trying to kill me?!'_

Yang comes strolling up to you, whistling a little tune like the past hour and a half didn't even happen, a towel around her neck and her body glistening with sweat.

"You... do this... every day?"

"Eh, whenever I have the time really." she shrugs.

"You... are insane."

"Nah, you're just outta shape." she teases.

"Heh... maybe I am." you snicker, forcing yourself to your feet. "In that case... we need to do this... more often."

Yang puts her arm around your shoulder, making you cringe in pain.

"Well since it's you, I'd be more than happy to."

"Since it's me? What do you mean?"

Yang backs up, her face turning red.

"O-oh you know... because we're like... best friends!"

"Hmm... I guess that makes sense."

Yang exhales, having dodged a bullet.

"So... anyway... are you free tonight?"

"That depends; does it involve more 'working out'?"

"Oh no, no, just going out on the town... having fun... just the two of us."

"Sounds like fun, just give me... several hours to adjust."

Yang snickers.

"No problem, I'll pick you up say... seven-ish?"

"It's a date." you smile. "But, uh, Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you help me? I... can't move." you whine.

Yang giggles, shaking her head.

"Alright you big baby, I gotcha."

You wrap your arms around Yang's neck as she hoists your legs up to her waist. As she's carrying you, you bury your face in her hair, your eyes growing heavy.

 _'Hm... her hair sure is soft...'_

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 _"Hey, (Y/n) wake up."_ Yang gently yet firmly shakes you awake.

"H-huh? Wha?"

"Sorry to wake you, but we're at your dorm."

You hop off Yang's back, yawning and stretching as you do.

"Sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." you say sheepishly. "Your hair was just-"

"MY HAIR?!" Yang snaps, her eyes turning red.

You flinch at the sudden outburst.

"Y-yeah, it's nice and soft... l-like a pillow." you stutter nervously.

Yang calms down, her cheeks dusted the slightest shade of pink.

"O-oh. Well, I do take very good care of it."

"Yeah, it shows. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine, as long as you didn't do anything to it."

You chuckle.

"No, of course not, I remember last time. So... seven you said?"

"Yeah, see you then!" Yang waves, running off.

"See ya." you wave back.

You walk into your room and crash down on your bed. You lay there for a minute until your eyes widen in realization.

"Did Yang ask me out on a date?!"

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You finished getting dressed, putting on your jacket; your outfit hasn't changed much - if at all - same jacket, same shoes, same pants; though you replaced your normal shirt for a dark purple one, with two black lines going down the right side. You fix your hair and look at yourself in the mirror; you smile and nod, satisfied with your look. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Onyx Rose sitting on a desk near your bed. You think for a second then look to Orchid, who's sitting on her bed, looking over the noted that she and Weiss took.

"Hey Orchid, do you think I should take Onyx Rose with me? You know just in case."

"W-well, if you're going out w-with Yang, then she'd p-probably have her gauntlets with her, s-since they can be kept i-inconspicuous." she rationalizes, not looking up from her notes.

"Hmm, god point. Then I'll leave my baby in your capable hands." you bow, moving over to the door.

Orchid suddenly stands up and salutes.

"Y-your weapon is safe with m-me!"

"Uhh, yeah, right." you sweatdrop. "Well, don't wait up for me!"

You open up the door to reveal Yang in a completely different outfit consisting of a deep-collared cream vest over a low cut black shirt and black miniskirt, covered by a dark grey shrug with a raised collar adorned with a black stripe down the outside of each sleeve, and gold cuffs. A pair of black belts are slung around her hip with a purple piece of fabric attached to the left-rear section of the lower belt. She wears thigh high stockings attached to her miniskirt by garter belts on the front and back of each thigh, decorated with four golden studs above her knee and her emblem on the outside of each thigh in gold. On her feet she has black ankle high boots with multiple buckles and white ribbons on the back of tied in a bow. Finally, around her neck is a purple pendant set in silver; you also notice she has Ember Celica on her wrists in bracelet form. She smirks as you look at her up and down, feasting your eyes.

"So... new outfit?" you finally say stepping outside.

"I thought I'd try something new." Yang smiles, striking a pose. "Whaddaya think? Do I look good?"

"Pssh, please, you could be naked and still look good." you say smoothly.

Yang smirks and raises an eyebrow; she gets up close to you and whispers in your ear.

 _"Naked huh? Well, play your cards right and we'll see where the night takes us."_ she walks away, putting an extra swing in her hips as she walks. "Come on, we're gonna miss the Bullhead to Vale."

You shake the blush from your face, following behind Yang.

 _'This is gonna be a long night.'_

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Yang leads you to a series of garages; she stops in front of one, unlocks it, and walks in. She wheels out a bright yellow and black motorbike.

"Oooh sweet bike."

"Yup, this is my baby Bumblebee."

"Really? Your 'baby'?"

"Hey, I don't wanna hear it! You call your weapon your baby all the time!" she protests, mounting her bike and starting it up.

"Hm, I guess that's fair."

Yang puts on her helmet - bright yellow with a dark visor matching her bike. She pats the space on the seat behind her.

"Hop on."

"What, I don't get a helmet?"

"Sorry, I only have the one."

You sigh and climb on Bumblebee.

"Well what am I supposed to do?"

"I suggest you hang on tight, and you know where to keep your hands."

You gulp, remembering full well what happened to the last guy that was audacious, or foolish, enough to grope Yang.

"Y-yes m-ma'am." you stutter as you wrap your arms around Yang's waist.

Yang snickers, revving Bumblebee's engine and speeding off into the night.

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Yang pulls up to Junior's club; she kills the engine and puts the kickstand down, keeping the bike in place.

"We're here."

You unwrap your arms from around Yang and hop off Bumblebee, looking over the club. It seems to have been successfully renovated, as you can see people crowding around the entrance, and music blaring from inside. You and Yang push through the crowd, walking up to the two burly men in black suits guarding the door.

"Can we help you with something?"

"Yeah, you can help us by letting us in." Yang speaks.

The bouncers look at each other then burst out laughing.

"Yeah... no. Sorry blondie, no kids allowed."

You could tell Yang was getting angry, so you put your hand on her shoulder. She instantly calms down seeing you and lets you step in front of her.

"You guys must be new; listen, I know the owner, so could you just let us in? Before my friend here has to get... physical." you gesture to Yang, whose cracking her knuckles.

"I don't care if you know the King of Vale! No. Kids. Allowed."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." you shrug. "Yang, could you be a dear?"

"Gladly." she grins evilly.

Yang punches one of the bouncers directly in the stomach; he doubles over in pain as she grips him by his collar, hoists him over her head, and throws him through the entrance. She struts past the other people and bouncer, each with horrified expressions on their faces, and into the club; with you following behind. As you and Yang walk in, the music stops and all eyes were on the two of you and the unconscious bouncer.

"Guess who~?"

"Alright everyone, relax." Junior's voice echoes throughout the club. "Percy, take him to the back."

A short, stocky man in a suit moves over to the downed bouncer and picks him up bridal style, carrying him to the back room. The music resumes and the people go back to mingling, drinking and dancing. As you and Yang make your way to the bar, you bump into someone: a man with half black-half white hair in a white suit, black collared shirt, shite tie and black dress shoes with white laces, you also notice he has one white eye and one black eye.

"Oh, excuse me." you apologize.

"Ah, not a problem, accidents happen." he smiles.

He turns back to the person he was talking to, and you and Yang keep walking to the bar and take seats next to each other. You give Junior a friendly smile and a wave.

"Hey Xiong."

"(Y/n). Blondie."

"So, the club looks great!"

"Yeah, no thanks to either of you."

"Hey don't blame me; you're the one that didn't tell me anything about... the person I'm looking for." Yang protests.

"Yeah, I don't wanna hear it either! I got her to leave didn't I?"

"She only left after she beat you! And you," he turns to Yang. "I told you that I didn't know anything about the chick you're looking for, and you decide to attack me! Now did you come here to harass me or what?"

Yang leans over and puts her arm around your shoulders.

"Nah, we're just here to have some drinks, dance and whatever else the night has in store."

Junior chuckles and shakes his head.

"Can't say I'm surprised with you two; fine, whaddaya want?"

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, and one of those little umbrellas." Yang answers first.

"You still have that lemon soda right?"

"Obviously, you're the only one that drinks that stuff."

"Don't be a smartass and just bring us our drinks please."

"Heh, comin' right up." Junior walks off to prepare your drinks.

"Really? Lemon soda?"

"What? It's good! And besides, someone has to keep you under control."

Yang smirks and looks at you with half-lidded eyes.

"Oh? Control me? You think you can handle this?"

"O-oh, uh... I-I mean... I just..." you babble, face red. "H-hey look Junior's back!" _'Damn... she's really stepped up her game.'_

Junior sets a glass of an orangish-yellow liquid with a small yellow umbrella in it in front of Yang; and a yellow and white can in front of you.

"Thanks." you say in unison.

You both take a sip form your respective drinks, letting out a satisfied sigh when you finish. You both look at each other and laugh.

"So (Y/n)... what's your deal?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You mentioned that you haven't been in the city very long and that you got into Beacon by chance, so what's up?"

You half chuckle, playing with your can.

"I'll keep it short for ya; I'm looking for my mom."

Yang's eyes widen and she focuses for more on you.

"Your mom?"

"Yeah... she's been missing for almost 3 years now and my search for her brought me to Vale. She went to Beacon y'know, so I thought I'd get some answers but..."

"No such luck huh?"

"Nope. I know Glynda told me not to worry, but I can't help myself y'know? She could be hurt or worse- and her own sister doesn't seem to care."

"Sister? Who, Miss... Good... witch...?

"Yeah... she's my aunt."

"You know, when you think about it for more than a second, it makes sense." Yang laughs.

"Heh heh... yeah."

Yang stares down somberly at her drink.

"I guess that's another thing we have in common."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I said I was looking for someone?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I was looking for _my_ mom." she takes a drink. "She left me after I was born and I wanna know why."

"Wow... she just left? Without saying anything to anyone?"

"Nope. According to my dad, she didn't even say goodbye." Yang finishes her drink and spins around on her stool, facing the dance floor. "But I'm not worried about it right now, I've got until graduation to worry; plus I have Ruby to look after. What about you?"

You take a drink and sigh.

"I don't know. I've still got some things to do in Vale, but after that I think I'm gonna look for her somewhere else - like in a different Kingdom or something."

Yang whips around on her stool to face you, a worried look on her face.

"Y-you're leaving?"

"Maybe." you shrug. "I haven't decided yet."

"Y-you can't leave! I mean what about Orchid? You're her partner; what's she gonna do without you?!"

"I don't know, I'm sure Ozpin can find a place for her." you counter.

"Well what about your friends? Are you just gonna leave them behind?!" now Yang was getting angry.

"It's only been a month, they'll get over it."

"What about me then?! Do I not mean anything to you?!"

You turn your head over to Yang, and you're shocked to see that she's on the verge of crying. Understandable, given what she just told you about her mother; but she didn't lump herself in with your friends... curious.

"I-I didn't mean it like that Yang... I haven't even made up my mind about leaving yet, I might not go anywhere."

Your answer seems to satisfy Yang, as she visibly calms down - her eyes returning to their original bright lilac.

"S-sorry, i didn't mean to yell at you."

"No it's totally understandable. I didn't think about what I was saying and how you would react, so it's entirely my bad."

Yang sighs and shakes her head.

"I just... I don't want you to leave."

You put your hand over Yang's in a reassuring manner.

"Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere... yet... maybe."

You lock eyes with each other; Yang blushes and smiles which makes you smile. You take your hand off of hers and pick up your drink.

"Anyway, here's to finding our moms!"

"I'll drink to that!" Yang looks to her glass, only to see that it's empty. "Oh Junior~! I need a refill~!"

Junior sighs and heads off to make several more drinks for Yang. It was going to be a looooong night.

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As the night rolls on, you could tell that Yang was getting a little... tipsy. While you had a couple cans of your soda, one Strawberry Sunrise turned into two... then four... then it somehow turned into ten.

"So (Y/n)..." she half slurs. "You and Weiss hmmm?"

"Oh, you heard about that, huh?"

"From the Ice Queen herself." she smirks. "Soooooo... anything happen?"

"No, no, we just went shopping and talked."

"Oooh 'talked'? I think I know what that means..." she drunkenly snickers and makes a jerking motion with her hand, making you blush furiously.

"No, no, no, no, absolutely not! When I said talked, that's it! And besides, she's not really my type."

Yang smirks and leans in close, showing off her... 'assets'.

"Oh? And what exactly _is_ your type, hmmm?"

"I-I... that's... uh..."

You're saved by the music changing and drawing Yang's attention.

"Oooh, I love this song!" she grabs your hand and tries to pull you to the dance floor. "Come on (Y/n), let's dance!"

You gently pull back, making Yang stumble but surprisingly not fall given her current state.

"Uh, sorry, but I don't dance."

Yang frowns, but soon replaces it with a devious smirk.

"Oh I see... well then, sit back and enjoy the show."

Yang struts her way over to the dance floor, swaying her hips as she does. She starts to dance and you're completely captivated by her movements; her gyrating hips, the way her hair flows as she sways. She spins around and your eyes lock, and the whole world seems to melt away, leaving just the two of you behind. You gulp and your heartbeat speeds up, did Yang always look so... beautiful? You're snapped out of your stupor by the Malachite twins latching onto your arms.

"Hey (Y/n)~" they say in unison. "Did you come back to see us?"

"Nah, I'm here with a... friend." you say pointing to Yang.

"Ugh, that blonde bimbo." Melanie hisses. "Why don't you ditch her and get with a _real_ woman?"

"I'd love to. You wouldn't happen to know any would you?"

The twins scoff and glare at you.

"Look, I'm already here with a really cool girl that actually laughs at my jokes, so could you like, move along before-"

"HEY!"

You look to see Yang angrily stomping - and stumbling- over to you and the twins, her eyes a blood red. You ready yourself to intervene if you need to.

"Whadda you two sluts think you're doing?!" she slurs.

"Hmph. Is the pot calling the kettle black or what?" Miltia snarks.

"What was that?!"

Melanie steps up, getting in Yang's face.

"You heard her. Look blondie, we're trying to have some quality time with (Y/n); so why don't you take your skank-ass somewhere else?"

"Yeah, I think the back alley should be more your speed."

The twins laugh as Yang growls and activates her gauntlets. A part of you wants to stop her... but this is too good to pass up. Yang reels her fist back and punches Melanie square in the jaw, sending her crashing into her sister and over the bar. The music stops again and all eyes are on you and Yang... again. The bouncers from outside burst through the back room and growl at the both of you.

"Well, I think that's our cue to leave." you hastily get up from your seat and move to Yang's side. "Thanks for the drinks Junior! See ya!"

"Hey! I ain't done with them yet!" Yang slurs as you pick her up and bolt out the doors.

You run over to Bumblebee and plop Yang down on the seat. As you do, someone taps your shoulder; you frantically spin around and assume a fighting stance, but drop it when you see the man you bumped into earlier.

"I believe you dropped this." he smiles, holding out a Scroll.

You pat your pockets and check inside your jacket; you must have dropped your Scroll when you bumped into him. You smile awkwardly and take it.

"Thanks, I must have dropped it."

"Not a problem, accidents happen." he smiles and walks back into the club.

You hear the telltale sound of Bumblebee's engine revving and spin around to see Yang trying to drive away. You scramble over and stop her from moving an inch.

"Oh no you don't!" you hop on the bike, pushing Yang back. "Hang on tight."

"Oooh, gladly." she winks, squishing her chest into your back.

You sigh and shake your head.

"Okay, now haw do I..."

You grip the handlebars and rev the engine; the bike lurches forward before stopping.

"Right, got it. Well, hopefully we don't die."

You rev the engine again and speed off, swerving a bit as you do.

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You and Yang make it back to Beacon with... moderate difficulty. Yang was being a bit rowdy on the Bullhead back, but thankfully it was empty so the only person that was annoyed was the pilot. You piggyback a sleeping Yang around the campus towards the dorms, trying desperately not to get caught since it was past curfew; if a teacher caught you both, you were dead - except maybe Ozpin, he was cool like that.

"(Y/n)? What are you doing?"

You slowly turn around to see the last person you wanted to see: Glynda. She looks at you sternly as she walks over to you, brandishing that damned riding crop.

 _'Shit! Okay, don't freak out, you got this.'_ you put on your best smile. "Hey Aunt Glynda, what's up?"

"'What's up' is that it's past curfew; what are you and Miss Xiao Long doing out so late?"

"Oh, we were just on the library studying, and we must have lost track of time."

Glynda narrows her eyes at you incredulously.

"You were studying?"

"Yup."

"Without your materials?"

"Well, I had to carry Yang so we had to leave them behind."

Glynda starts to circle around you, eyeing Yang.

"Speaking of, why is she dressed like... that? And why does she have her gauntlets?"

You gulp; she's starting to see through you.

"Oh, y-you know, she, uh, wanted to... umm-"

"And if I'm not mistaken, she also smells like... alcohol. Care to explain?"

"O-oh, that's - uh... that is because, well..."

She smirks, though you don't see, and walks around in front of you.

"And you know what's funny? I just so happened to have come from the library and neither of you were there."

"O-oh you, uh, must've just missed us."

Glynda sighs shaking her head.

"(Y/n), drop the act. I know you and Yang were in Vale, I watched you leave. Plus I've been in the library all day, so I know neither of you were there."

Your face drops and you cast an annoyed glare at Glynda.

"If you knew where we were, why did you do that whole shtick?"

"Honestly, I just wanted to mess with you." she smirks.

You scoff.

"Wonderful. Does everyone enjoy making a fool outta me?"

"Oh (Y/n), you don't need any help with that."

"Thank you! Wait no - I, you, argh!"

Glynda laughs at your outrage, though you don't find it nearly as amusing. Still, it's a welcome change from her usual demeanor.

"I'm glad that I amuse you so." you deadpan. "Anyway, are you gonna hit me or... what?"

"Ah yes, right." she smacks you on the forehead with her crop.

"Ow! Why did I even ask?" you groan.

"What are you planning to do with her?" Glynda asks, gesturing to Yang.

"I'm just gonna take her back to my dorm until she sobers up."

"I see, I can expect that nothing will happen, correct?"

"Of course not, I know better than to take advantage of a drunken girl."

"Good. I'll leave you to it then." Glynda turns to walk away but stops. "And (Y/n)?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure something like this doesn't happen like this again - at least not on a school night."

"Hehe, no promises." you smile.

Glynda lets out an exasperated sigh as she walks away.

"Of course."

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You kick open the door to your dorm; luckily thanks to Orchid's noise-cancelling earbuds she doesn't wake up - though _someone_ probably heard that... oh well, you'll deal with it. You gingerly set Yang down on one of the spare beds; you sigh and take off your jacket.

"(Y/n)?" you hear a groggy voice say.

You turn around to see an obviously tired Blake standing in the doorway; her bow not on her head, exposing her cat ears.

"Oh, hey Blake... uh, did I wake you?" you joke.

"Obviously." she growls.

You sheepishly rub the back of your head.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot you were a Faunus."

"You... forgot."

"What? I can forget things! Anyway I'm glad to you're the one that woke up, I don't want Weiss yelling at me... again."

"Yeah, luckily she's a heavy sleeper. So why are you awake so late?"

"Yang and I went out, she got drunk and I figured you guys didn't want to deal with that, so I brought her here."

Blake eyes you suspiciously.

"Hmmm, a lot of guys would kill to be in your position... how do I know-"

"Blake please, I may be a bit of a pervert-"

"A bit?" she giggles.

"Whatever, you know what I mean! Anyway, I would never stoop so low."

"Good." the Faunus smiles. "You're gonna have your hands full."

You hear a stirring where you put Yang; you turn around and see her sitting on the bed trying to take her clothes off.

"Yang, what are you doing?!"

She flashes you a seductive smile.

"What? I'm jus' gettin' more comfy; you did bring me to your dorm after all~"

"You can be comfy with your clothes on! Besides, we have company." you point to Blake.

"Oh hey Blakey! Care to join us~?"

You and Blake glance at each other, faces flushed red.

"A-actually, I have to go back to bed..."

"Aww maybe next time~" she winks, then suddenly clamps a hand over her mouth. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" your eyes widen in realization. "Blake, get the bathroom door, quick!"

Blake scrambles to the door and opens it, while you hastily pick up Yang and bolt to the bathroom. You position her in front of the toilet and watch as she grips the sides of it and vomits.

"Wait a second; I've got something for this."

You pull out a rubber band out of your pocket and pull Yang's hair back in a sloppy ponytail, but sufficient enough to keep it out of the toilet. You look back at Blake as you rub Yang's back soothingly.

"Thanks. I'll send her back your way when she's sober enough."

"Right. Night then (Y/n)." she waves.

"Night." you wave back.

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Yang groggily lifts her head up and checks her surroundings; she's in a bathroom in one of the dorms, though she's unsure which... that is until she hears you snoring. She turns her head and sees you fast asleep in the bathtub - she stifles a laugh and gets to her feet. Shaking off the dizziness, and picks you up and carries you into the bedroom and sets you down on your bed. It's still the middle of the night and she's tired so she kicks off her boots and climbs into your bed and cuddles up to you.

 _'Hmmm~ is this fine? Yeah, yeah I think it is.'_

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 **Yeah I know that dream sequence didn't really make any sense, but it's the only way I could figure how to write it, so hopefully you guys understand what I was going for there. Don't worry; it'll all make sense... eventually. Also I feel like I could've written the scenes in the club better... I don't know, I'm not going back to change anything yet, so I'm not worried about it now.**

 **Not a lot of action this chapter, but plenty of fluff - so if you're a fan of that, here you go; next chapter however, will have enough action for two chapters! And more information of your journey to Vale, so stay tuned for that! Until then, see ya!**


	9. Chapter 9 An Honest Man

**9\. An Honest Man**

You yawn as you turn over in your bed; you feel your arm hit something soft and instinctively wrap around it. Whatever you were cuddling up to sure smelled good, lilac... citrus... alcohol? You open your eyes and are greeted with Yang sleeping peacefully and snoring lightly, a small smile on her face. Your faces were close enough that they were practically touching, so you slowly unwrap your arm from around her and crawl of the bed.

 _'Why is she still here? I could've sworn I was gonna take her back to her dorm... well whatever, at least she's still clothed.'_

"(Y-Y/n)? I-is something wrong?"

You turn to face Orchid, who's sitting up in her bed.

"N-no, nothing's wrong."

Th-then why is your f-face all red? A-are you sick?"

"No I'm not sick, my face is, uh, red... because..."

"Ugh, what time is it?"

You and Orchid look to see a groggy Yang sitting up on your bed rubbing her head and eyes.

"Mornin' sunshine." you smile.

"Guh, mornin'. Did you do this?" Yang asks pointing to her hair.

"Oh, yeah, I had to keep those luscious locks out of the toilet somehow."

"Oh... right." Yang undoes her ponytail and shakes her head. "I, uh, hope I wasn't too much trouble."

"Pssh nah, I had to look after you for a little bit, but you didn't throw up on the floor so... that's good."

"Th-that is very f-fortunate." Orchid chimes in. "B-but why are you s-still here?"

"Yeah... you were obviously sober enough to carry me to my bed, so why didn't you go back to your dorm?"

Yang's eyes widen and she blushes, looking between you and Orchid.

"O-oh, uh, you know... it was late and I... didn't want to wake my team."

You narrow your eyes at her incredulously and tap your finger on your chin.

"I suppose... that makes sense."

"B-but why did you have t-to share a bed w-with (Y/n)?"

"Another good question." you point out.

Yang's face gets even redder.

"That is because... uh, I... I..."

A sharp rapping at the door catches everyone's attention. You go over and open the door to see Ruby, Weiss and Blake standing there in their uniforms, with Weiss at the forefront.

"Can I help you?" you smile.

"Where is she?" the heiress sharply asks.

You cross your arms and lean on the doorframe.

"I'm not quite sure what you're talking abou-"

"Save it! Blake already told us about your night of... debauchery!"

"Debauchery?"

"I don't know what it means either." Ruby shrugs.

"Look, I don't know what you want but-"

"IS YANG HERE OR NOT?!" Weiss finally screams.

"Ohhhh, why didn't you just ask? Yeah she's here."

"Then tell her to hurry up! I refuse to be late for class because you two wanted to get drunk!"

"Hey, I didn't get drunk! I'm _far_ more responsible than that!"

Weiss crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.

"Whatever, just get a move on!" and with that, she walks off.

"See you in class (Y/n)!" Ruby waves and follows Weiss, leaving Blake behind. She smirks at you knowingly.

"So..."

"Nothing happened!" you grab Blake's hand pull her into the room. "See, she's still clothed!"

"So I see... but you know she could've gotten dressed at any time."

You groan and Blake snickers; Yang walks over to you and puts an arm around your shoulders.

"Blake, stop teasing (Y/n)... that's my job."

You roll your eyes as the girls giggle.

"Yeah, yeah, don't you have classes to get ready for?"

"D-don't we?" Orchid interjects.

"Orchid, sarcasm." you remind her.

"Ah r-right."

"Don't worry, you'll get there eventually."

"Th-that... was sarcasm."

"Eh, a little bit. Now if you ladies would excuse us..."

"Right, don't wanna make Weiss angrier." Yang shrugs then turns to you. "So, uh, I really appreciate you taking care of me (Y/n)."

"Don't worry about it Yang." you wave off. "Last night was... fun; we should totally do it again sometime."

"Yeah, maybe next time we can take things a little... further." Yang winks.

"Y-yeah, maybe." you blush and rub the back of your head. _'Get her outta here.'_ you whisper to Blake.

Blake grabs Yang's wrist and drags her out of your room, closing the door behind them. The two then walk to their dorm to get ready for the day.

"So... you and (Y/n) huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Blake scoffs.

"Come on Yang, it's obvious that you like him."

"I-is it?"

"Yes, and I think that he likes you too. You should tell him how you feel."

Yang sighs, momentarily looking down at her feet, then looks back at Blake.

"I-I don't know... with me, guys are usually after one thing..."

Blake stops in her tracks, forcing Yang to stop as well.

"Yang, (Y/n) had the chance to take advantage of you last night while you were drunk, but he didn't. I highly doubt that if he just wanted you for your body, he wouldn't have passed that up."

"Hmm, well, I guess you're right. Speaking of last night, I must've been wasted, 'cause I could've sworn that there were... cat ears on your head."

Blake's eyes widen and her face turns red.

"O-oh, that- you must've just seen my bow."

Yang narrows her eyes at Blake before shrugging it off.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." she smiles as she walks off.

Blake exhales deeply, following behind her partner.

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You stand in front of the door of the arena, waiting for Glynda's class to begin. You had changed into your combat/casual clothes and retrieved Onyx Rose and were just waiting for your moment, smiling at the thought of what you were going to do. Meanwhile, inside, Glynda had just finished taking attendance and scowls as she looks around at the seats.

"Where's (Y/n)?" she asks expectantly.

Everyone looks around in confusion; finally, Orchid raises her hand and speaks up.

"H-he said he had something 's-special' he wanted to do for c-combat class."

Glynda sighs and shakes her head.

"Why am I not surprised? Well when is he going to show up?"

You kick the doors open and saunter in, a smirk on your face.

"RIGHT NOW! And I have come, to issue a challenge to you - Pyrrha Nikos!" you point Onyx Rose at her.

"M-me?"

"INDEED! You, Miss Nikos, are a world renowned fighter and I wish to test your mettle! Well? Do you accept my challenge? Or are the myths that you are 'The Invincible Girl' just that?"

Pyrrha frowns a bit, but then looks up at you, a fire in her emerald eyes. There were many things she could tolerate, but someone questioning her warrior's spirit wasn't one of them. She stands, looking directly into your eyes.

"Of course I accept your challenge (Y/n)." she says with determination.

"Oh ho! Beautiful, smart, kind, not afraid to back down from a challenge; everything I look for in a woman!" you shout making her blush. "Well that and having a penchant for terrible puns." you wink at Yang, making her blush.

Glynda sighs again, and starts typing on her tablet.

"Well then, I suppose we have our first match. Miss Nikos, if you would please get ready?"

You stroll down to the arena as Pyrrha walks past you. You smirk at her and, to your surprise, she smirks back. Meanwhile, Ruby was bouncing excitedly in her seat.

"Ooooh (Y/n) is fighting against Pyrrha?! This is gonna be awesome! Oh, who's gonna win?!"

"20 Lien on Pyrrha!" Nora exclaims.

"I am so taking that bet!" Yang reciprocates.

"Really?! You're betting on my fight?!" you yell from the arena.

"Yeah and I got 20 riding on this, so you better not lose!"

You chuckle.

"Well, that's just another reason for me to win isn't it sweetheart?" you wink.

Yang blushes and rubs the back of her head.

"Hehe... yeah."

Out of the corner of her eye, Yang sees Blake stifling a giggle. She scowls at her and Blake smirks back.

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You and Pyrrha stare each other down from across the arena, weapons at the ready, waiting for Glynda to start the match. As she finishes typing on her tablet as she steps off the arena, yours and Pyrrha's portraits appear on the large screen above the arena, your Aura meters filling up beneath them.

"Alright everyone! The match between (Y/n) Goodwitch and Pyrrha Nikos is about to begin in 3... 2... 1... begin!"

You immediately rush at Pyrrha and throw Onyx Rose at her. She deflects it, making it fly into the air, and then blocks a flying kick from you. You plant your other foot on her shield and flip backwards, grabbing your sword, quickly unsheathing it and coming down on her. She jumps back, causing you to miss, but then you burst forward, clashing your sheath with her shield. You struggle for a moment then push off, spin around and slash horizontally at her head; it looks like you hit your mark... but your sword goes right over Pyrrha's head without her having to move... odd. You swing again but Pyrrha parries your strike and kicks you away. She switches Milo into its rifle form and fires a few rounds at you, but you deflect them all. You shake your head and look at her disappointed.

"Really? You're gonna shoot at me? Okay..." you point Onyx Rose at Pyrrha, blade first. "Two can play at the ranged game."

You thrust your arm forward, extending Onyx Rose's blade at Pyrrha's head, but it shifts midair and misses her without her having to move... again! You glimpse at the blade and notice a faint greyish-black aura around it, although it was difficult to see. You also sense Pyrrha's Aura being used - albeit slightly.

 _'I see, so that's how it is... but, gotta be sure.'_

You retract your blade and you and Pyrrha rush at each other. You slash at her legs, but she leaps over your attack, switching Milo back into its xiphos form; she lands behind you, slashes your back twice and kicks you away. You spin around and block a stab from her, but she immediately pulls back and attempts to sweep your legs, but you hop over her leg. She continues her momentum as you land and smacks you with her shield. While dazed, she goes in to attack again; you raise your sword to try to defend yourself, but it's forced downwards - most likely by the same force that was causing you to miss before.

Pyrrha capitalizes by knocking Onyx Rose from your hand and slashing your chest twice. She goes in for a stab, but you block with your sheath. You spin it around her arm and spin yourself around, elbowing her in the stomach then tossing her over your shoulder. She recovers quickly and throws her shield at your legs; you run forward and dive over it, roll and swing your sheath upward, catching Pyrrha on the chin. As she reels back, you notice the same greyish-black aura subtly surrounding her left hand.

 _'Well, that pretty much confirms-'_

You thoughts were cut short by Akouo slamming into the back of your head. Pyrrha shakes off your hit, attracting her shield to her hand and slamming it into your chest and using her Semblance to lift you off of the ground and high into the air. She jumps and attracts Akouo back to her, using it as a platform to jump above you, flip, then axe kick you down. You hit the ground hard making everyone, even Glynda, to flinch slightly; Pyrrha lands neatly, catching Akouo a sit falls right to her.

"So do you wanna pay up now or what?" Nora smugly asks Yang.

"I wouldn't count (Y/n) out just yet." Yang points to the board.

Sure enough, yours and Pyrrha's Auras were nearly at the same level, hers at 86%, and yours at 83%.

"H-how are their Auras n-nearly the same?" Orchid questions. "(Y-Y/n)'s taken far more h-hits."

"Maybe he just has a lot of Aura." Jaune rationalizes. "Pyrrha said that I have a lot of when she unlocked mine."

Weiss brings her hand to her chin and purses her lips, thinking.

"It's rare, but there are some people that are born with more, or less, Aura than usual."

"So what? Me and (Y/n) are special?"

"In more ways than one..." Weiss mutters.

"W-Weiss..." Orchid reprimands.

In the arena, Pyrrha smirks victoriously at your downed form.

"Well? Has my 'mettle' been tested enough (Y/n)?"

You flip back onto your feet and retrieve Onyx Rose, twirling it in your hand.

"Okay, three things: one - OW! Two - you're getting really cheeky, and I like it. And three - it's easy to be smug when you use your Semblance to magnetize my weapon!"

Pyrrha looks shocked for a moment, then narrows her eyes at you.

"So... you figured it out."

"Yeah, you're really good at hiding it; well you'd have to be in order for people not to counter it." you ramble. "But anyway, I guess I have to start trying now." you drop your sheath and grip your sword with both hands.

"What do you-"

You burst off your foot at Pyrrha; she's a bit shocked at your sudden speed, but raises her shield to defend herself. You quickly dash around to her back and slash twice, and then bash her with the pommel of your sword. She stumbles a bit but recovers quickly, spinning around to kick you; you jump and twist around her leg, grabbing it in the process. You quickly plant your sword into the ground for leverage and, continuing your momentum, throw Pyrrha across the arena. She recovers and throws her shield at you again, only for you to lean back and dodge it. She then uses her Semblance - not bothering to hide it anymore - to slingshot Akouo into your legs, but you backflip over it to avoid it.

Pyrrha capitalizes by changing Milo into its javelin form and throws it at you; you deflect it with your sword, but then are hit in the stomach by Akouo. You're knocked to the ground and roll out of the way of Milo as it stabs the ground where you were. You get to your feet and flip backwards before Akouo hits you and block a stab from Milo. As you struggle, you look over to Pyrrha, who's smirking as she manipulates her weapons.

"You know... this is really unfair."

"Not every fight is going to be exactly in your favor (Y/n)."

"Pff, tell me about it. Okay then..."

You push Milo away and rush directly at Pyrrha herself, but Akouo comes in to intercept you. You activate Onyx Rose, changing the end of the blade into a form more befitting of a hammer. You bash the shield hard, breaking it from Pyrrha's control and sending it soaring over her head and out of bounds. You leap in the air and hoist your sword-hammer over your head, hoping to crush the Spartan beneath it; she, however, rolls to the side as you come down and attracts Milo to her hand.

You revert Onyx Rose and try to lift it up to attack, but Pyrrha releases a small blast of magnetism from her left hand to wrench it from you hand and sends it across the arena. Defenseless, she unleashes a flurry of stabs on you while you only cover your face with your arms. Pyrrha attracts Akouo to her free hand and bashes you in the gut, then against your head, sending you across the arena and to your sword. After you land, Pyrrha relaxes, breathing heavily; her eyes wander over to the board, she sees her Aura sitting pretty at 57%, while yours... was at 55%. Her eyes widen in disbelief.

"You're not relaxing yet right? I didn't hear any buzzer yet." you smirk.

"How... how much Aura do you have?"

You shrug as you pick up Onyx Rose and sheathe it.

"I dunno, a lot apparently. Anyway, let's wrap this up shall we?"

You set Onyx Rose on the ground momentarily, bring your fists together in front of your chest, close your eyes and concentrate. Pyrrha raises her weapons, readying herself for whatever you're about to do. A faint purple aura starts shimmering around your body until the same aura erupts around you, roiling off of your body like flames. Pyrrha's and Glynda's eyes widen as they know exactly what this is. You take a deep breath and bring your arms to your sides as you open your eyes, them taking on a slight purple tint.

"That's..." Glynda utters.

"Breakthrough!"

"Break-what?" Ruby asks confused.

"Breakthrough." Weiss answers. "It's an advanced Aura manipulation technique that focuses on offense than defense."

"Offense?"

"Yes. Normally, your Aura protects your body from physical harm, but Breakthrough forces your Aura to, well, 'break through' your body; drastically increasing your strength, speed, reaction time, everything." Blake explains.

"But doesn't our Aura do that anyway?"

"Not as drastically as Breakthrough does; but the tradeoff is that it literally 'burns' away at your Aura over time."

"Cool." Nora and Jaune chirp.

Weiss, however, narrows her eyes at her teammate.

"You seem to be very knowledgeable about this."

"W-well I... had a good teacher."

"Yeah... well the real question is, how does (Y/n) know how to do this? It's something that was cut from the curriculum due to how dangerous it is."

You hold up a finger and turn to the stands.

"Well Weiss, if you must know, my mom taught me. 'Gotta learn how to run before you walk' she'd always say."

Glynda scowls, turning her head so no one would see.

 _'Of course you'd teach him something like that.'_

"And I must thank you Blake, for explaining it for the audience so that don't have to. But there is one thing you left out: apparently you can't use your Semblance while it's active, but I don't have to worry about that... yet." you bend over and pick up Onyx Rose and grip the hilt tightly. "Now if you don't mind, I'm kinda on a timer so..."

You draw your sword faster than anyone can see, releasing a large sonic wave at Pyrrha. She blocks it but the sheer force of the attack breaks her guard and makes her fly backwards. You nearly instantly appear behind her and kick her in the back, sending her flying in the opposite direction. Pyrrha digs Milo into the ground to stop herself and cringes slightly at the now fading pain in her back. She throws her shield at you, which you bash away with the back of your fist. She just barely blocks a strike from you, now inches away from her; she struggles for a moment then ripostes your attack and attracting Akouo to her hand, blocking another strike.

You unleash a flurry of slashes, most too fast to see, putting Pyrrha on the defensive. She sparingly uses her Semblance to divert some of your attacks, while blocking and parrying the rest. You stop your assault and jump back before blitzing around Pyrrha so fast that you leave afterimages in your wake. Pyrrha's eyes dart around trying to follow you but she can't; and neither can anyone in the audience. Pyrrha feels a stinging in her arm, no doubt to you hitting her; it happens again, and again, and again all over her body, your small hits stacking up quickly.

 _'Should I...? No, not yet.'_ Pyrrha thinks to herself.

In the stands, everyone, except Blake, were in awe at your performance.

"Whoa." Jaune and Nora gasp, while Ren stays quiet.

"He's as fast as me when I use my Semblance."

"No, he's definitely faster." Weiss corrects.

"S-so, this is B-Breakthrough." Orchid takes out her notebook and starts vigorously writing notes.

Yang on the other hand, was feeling a mix of awe like everyone else, and the slightest bit of anger, as she clenches her fists a bit.

 _'So... this whole time you've been holding back...'_

Pyrrha breathes deep as her Aura starts to shimmer around her body; she concentrates and spots you dashing toward her about to slash again. She blocks your strike, catching you off guard; she pushes you off of her and goes in for a stab, but you drop your sheath and catch her arm. She tries to free herself, but your grip is too strong.

"I've... gotta hand it to you Pyrrha..." you pant. "I... didn't think you'd be able... to keep up with me. But... that's what makes you... a worthy rival."

Pyrrha smiles genuinely this time instead of smirking.

"Thank you (Y/n), I appreciate that. I also appreciate you giving me some time to concentrate."

Your eyes widen as a rust-red aura flares around Pyrrha, her eyes tinted the same color in addition to their usual green.

"So, you can do it too... eh, I'm not that surprised." you shrug.

"Indeed. Now then, you said something about ending this fight?"

"That I did." you chuckle. "Now bring it!"

You and Pyrrha disappear from view, the only indication that you were still in the arena being the sounds of metal clashing with metal.

"Man, this stinks! I can't see anything!" Ruby moans.

"You just need to focus more you dunce!"

Ruby squints her eyes and focuses; sure enough, afterimages of you and Pyrrha start appearing as you both zoom around the arena. Eventually, you both clash in the middle, a shockwave erupting between you two, making you both fly back several feet from the center. You both stare each other down, breathing heavily with sweat dripping down your faces. You both smile - it's been a long time since either of you had a fight so intense... and it's only a sparring session! You both look at the board, your Auras were tied a 19% and falling.

"So... looks like this is it." you pant.

"That... it does. Shall we... give our classmates... a rousing finish?"

"Hehe... took the words right outta my mouth... well not really, but whatever." you shrug and take a stance while Pyrrha does the same.

After a second, you and Pyrrha rush at each other, tearing up the arena as you do. You both pass each other, striking out with your weapons as you do. You both stop opposite each other and your Breakthroughs deactivate; everyone is waiting with bated breath to see the outcome. Pyrrha falters a bit, but you're the one that falls over, your Aura depleted. Pyrrha falls to her knees, breathing heavily as a buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the match.

"W-well, I think that's enough." Glynda says as she hurriedly makes her way to the arena to check on you... and Pyrrha. "The winner is Pyrrha Nikos. Are you alright Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha cringes in pain a bit as she gets to her feet.

"Yes Professor… I'll be alright."

"Good." Glynda rushes over to your downed form. "(Y/n), (Y/n) get up." when you don't move she kneels down and cradles you in her arms. She checks your pulse, you're still alive - just unconscious; she exhales a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"Is he alright?" Pyrrha asks concerned.

"Yes, he's fine, just unconscious." she turns to the stands. "Unfortunately, we're going to have to cut class a bit short as I have to take (Y/n) to the infirmary." she walks out of the room carrying you and using her Semblance to carry your sword, leaving everyone to exchange worried looks.

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You open your eyes and are greeted by a blank white ceiling. You sit up from your laying position and look around; you're in a white tiled hospital-like room lying on a bed with white sheets. Your jacket was on a chair near the door and your shoes were at the foot of said chair, with your sword resting on top of your jacket. You get up out of the bed and walk over to the chair, rolling your shoulders.

"Oof, still a bit stiff..." you comment, putting on your shoes on. "I forgot how much Breakthrough takes outta you."

You finish putting on your jacket when the door opens and Glynda comes striding into the room, riding crop in hand.

"Hey Glynda." you smile. "Thanks for bringing me here - I assume it was you anyway."

"You assume correctly." she says, adjusting her glasses. "I can see you're up and about."

"Yeah... though I am a little bit sore." you say stretching.

Glynda smiles before violently beating you about the face and neck with her crop.

"You idiot! You could've been seriously injured!" she momentarily stops hitting you, and you rub your head in pain.

"Ow... but I wasn't was I?" you sicker.

Glynda resumes hitting you.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! All right, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" that finally makes her stop hitting you.

"Hmph, you should be! There's a reason why we don't teach students how to use Breakthrough anymore."

"Yeah, yeah, it's dangerous and archaic, blah, blah, blah. Did you at least hit Pyrrha with that stupid thing?"

"Trust me, I had an extended talk with Miss Nikos about this."

"Good, at least I wasn't the only one getting lectured this time." you mutter. "Anyway, how long was I out?"

"Only a few hours, thankfully."

"Hours huh? That means I missed my classes... on no..." you sarcastically say.

Glynda smirks.

"Oh don't you worry, I made sure to get any and all work you missed while you were indisposed."

Your face instantly drops.

"Oh... gee... thanks." you deadpan.

"Not a problem, it is my job as a teacher - and your aunt - to make sure you succeed here at Beacon."

"Heh heh... yeah, sure." you chuckle, rubbing the back of your head.

"Indeed. Anyway, everyone's in the cafeteria for dinner; no doubt they're worried about you."

"Yeah... well, I better grace them with my presence."

"We should all be so lucky." Glynda mutters.

"Also, I'm really hungry. See ya Glynda!" you run out the door.

"I'll come by your dorm later to deliver the work you missed!" Glynda yells after you.

"Sorry can't hear ya!" you yell as you round a corner.

Glynda sighs then smiles a bit.

"I swear that boy is his own worst enemy."

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You open the doors to the cafeteria and walk in, scanning the room for RWBY, JNPR and Orchid; you spot them and saunter over to the table they were sitting at. As you walk over, you hear murmuring from the other tables about you, but you ignore them and keep walking.

"Hey, that's the guy that fought Pyrrha Nikos!"

"And he didn't immediately lose? Wow."

"Yeah, he almost beat her!"

"Oooh, cute and a good fighter... is he single?" you smirk at this.

You reach the table your friends were sitting at, except Orchid was absent; you stand at the head of the table and announce your presence.

"Sup losers." you smile. "Although, I guess I'm the loser here."

Everyone turns to you and smiles, Ruby rushing up to you and catching you in a tight hug.

"(Y/n)! You're okay!"

"I won't be if you keep hugging me like this." you struggle out, making Ruby let go of you.

"Oh, uh, sorry." she quickly returns to her seat, while you take a seat between Blake and Yang.

"How are you feeling?" Pyrrha asks, her voice laced with concern.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." you wave off. "Where's Orchid?"

"She said she wanted to review the notes she took on your sparring match." Blake answers.

"Really? She took notes? Someone needs to get out more."

"Well can you blame her? You and Pyrrha were amazing!" Ruby yells.

"But in the end, Pyrrha won." Ren says, a hint of pride in his voice.

"And I got me 20 bucks!" Nora brags, making Yang glare at her.

You chuckle and sheepishly rub the back of your head.

"Hehe, yeah... sorry about that Yang, I guess I owe you, right?"

Yang puts an arm around your shoulder, bringing you in close to her face.

"You're darn right you owe me; especially since you made me - us - worry about you."

You smirk and start running your fingers through Yang's hair.

"Aww, I didn't mean to make you worry Sunshine."

"Wh-what? I-I said 'us'!" she stutters blushing.

"You said 'me' before though."

Yang's blush deepens.

"O-oh... did I?"

You bring your face close to hers.

"Yes, you did."

"Get a room you two!" Weiss yells.

"Amen to that sister!" Nora agrees.

You and Yang separate, both of you blushing intensely.

"Anyway... our fight seems to be the talk of Beacon." Pyrrha notes, thankfully changing the subject.

"So I've noticed." you sneak some food off of Yang and Blake's plates. "I'm getting pretty popular around here."

"Yes, as if your ego needed more boosting." Weiss quips.

"Weiss, please! I'm as modest as modest can be."

"(Y/n), a modest person doesn't brag about being modest." Blake states.

"Don't they though?"

"No."

"Bah, you're no fun. Anyway, I can't believe you can use Breakthrough Pyrrha! It was the only trump card I had against you."

"Yes, well, when you're groomed from a young age to be a champion, you're given every advantage you can get."

You noticed Pyrrha's voice sounded a bit downcast, so you turn the conversation to yourself.

"Yeah, I get that; I have tons of stories about when my mom trained me. In fact..."

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 _ **One hour later...**_

"Then, when I was twelve, my mom threw me into a den of Beowolves with a lighter, a pencil and a can of bug spray and told me to 'figure it out'."

"No way! What happened?" Yang eagerly asks.

"Well, it was dark, but I remember an explosion... and not having eyebrows for about a year and a half."

Everyone at the table bursts out laughing.

"Suddenly your attitude makes so much more sense." Weiss comments.

"Yeah (Y/n), your mom sounds crazy." Jaune says.

"Yeah... she was a tough but effective teacher. Wherever she is, I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she's fine." Pyrrha assures. "You shouldn't worry yourself over it."

"I know." you say stretching. "Welp, it's getting late, and I'm tired."

"Didn't you just come back from being unconscious?"

"Well yes, but that doesn't mean I can't sleep more."

"Lazy to the end aren't you?" Weiss sighs.

"Yep!" you smile, walking out of the cafeteria.

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The ringing of your Scroll jolts you awake. You growl, swiping it from the nightstand to answer it.

"Ruby, I don't care what kind of cookies-"

 _"Hey kid."_

Your body tenses up at the sound of the voice on the other end.

"Torchwick?! How do you have my number?!"

He chuckles.

 _"I have my ways. Anyway, you need to stop messing with the White Fang; I've got those damn animals breathing down my neck 24/7."_

"That sounds like your problem, not mine."

 _"Ah, but you see it is your problem' they know it's you, and they've been grilling me nonstop about where you are."_

"And you know where I am?" you ask incredulously.

You can hear Roman's laughter on the other end.

 _"Of course I do! Listen (Y/n), I'm a reasonable guy, so why don't we just talk this out huh? Otherwise... Beacon's gonna be up in flames by the end of the month. You know where to find me."_

You scowl as you hear him hang up. He wasn't bluffing, he did know where you were - though how escapes you. It's irrelevant now, Beacon was in being threatened because of you! You sigh and get out of bed and hastily get dressed, grabbing Onyx Rose as you storm out the door.

"Why does stuff like this always happen on the weekends?" you mutter to yourself.

You turn a corner and run into Ruby and Orchid, the young reaper stumbling back but not falling over.

"Oh (Y/n)! We were just coming to see you! We were gonna go into Vale today and wanted to know if-"

"No." you coldly say as you walk past them.

"-You wanted to come... with... us..." Ruby watches you walk away. "What's up with him?"

"I-I don't know; h-he was dressed rather s-sloppily."

"And he had his weapon... did something happen?"

"W-well whatever it is i-it's none of our business." Orchid tries to walk away but is stopped by Ruby grabbing her wrist.

"Orchid! Are you just gonna be passive like this forever? (Y/n)'s your partner - your friend; you even mentioned he would act weird sometimes. Aren't you worried about him?"

Orchid looks away from Ruby's silver eyes and down at the floor.

"I-I am but-"

"But nothing! You're obviously worried and that's enough to want to help him!" Ruby sighs letting go of Orchid's wrist. "Orchid... please."

"I-I... o-okay fine."

"Yes! Grab your weapon and we'll meet at the landing pad!" with that, Ruby speeds off.

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Ruby and Orchid peek around the corner of a building, their weapons in hand. They managed to catch up with you, but keep their distance so you don't notice them.

"So how're we gonna do this?"

"U-um... let's go up to the r-rooftops, we'll have a lower chance of b-being spotted."

"Good idea! Lemme find a ladder..."

"N-no need." Orchid opens her case and pulls out Violet Melody, slotting a gravity crystal into it. She twists it back into place and the flute, making it take on a dark purple color. She plays a tune and she and Ruby are engulfed in a same colored aura.

"Whoa... I feel so much lighter!"

"Th-that's the point; n-now jump!"

The girls take one mighty jump, and thanks to the gravity augmentation, fly all the way up to the top of the building. Orchid lands perfectly on the roof while Ruby lands on the ledge trying to balance herself, but she falls backwards. She squeezes her eyes shut and flails her arms.

"Whoooah! Orchid, I'm falling!"

"R-Ruby, you're fine... s-see?"

Ruby opens her eyes and looks around; sure enough, she was floating in the air, the purple aura still around her. She levitates over to the building as the aura wears off, making her fall on her butt. She immediately springs to her feet and dusts herself off.

"Come on, before we lose him!"

"R-right!" Ruby runs off, with Orchid following close behind.

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You step in front of a large warehouse - similar to the one that you and Weiss went to - Roman waiting at the front entrance for you, a large smug grin on his face.

"(Y/n)! Glad you could make it!"

"Cut the shit Roman; where's the ambush?" you scan the area. "In the warehouse? Are they gonna drop from above? Are they under your hat?"

Roman chuckles and steps toward you.

"Don't be like that kid, I just wanna talk."

"Oh?" you raise an eyebrow, and then dodge a kick from a certain ice cream colored girl. "Then why did Neo just try to sneak attack me?"

Roman glares at Neo, who just smiles cutely and shrugs.

"Okay, okay fine. Don't take this too personally but... you kinda have to die. Simply business you understand; Neo, if you would."

Neo smirks, twirling her umbrella as you enter your own battle stance. You catch a strike from her, who used her Semblance to get free shots in on you. Clearly she wasn't expecting this, as her eyes widen.

"Oh come on, you should know by now that you can't get the drop on me so easily."

You grab Neo's umbrella and toss her over you. She recovers, rushing at you; she flips and tries to axe kick you, but you lean back to avoid it. She lands and recovers, jabbing her umbrella continually at you. You weave and duck through her assault until you catch her umbrella in your hand. You pull her in and kick her in the stomach; she twists the handle and releases the hidden blade in the umbrella as she slides back. She scowls at you as you toss the umbrella away; you get into a stance, holding your blade in front of your face.

"Alright short stuff, let's dance." Neo puffs out her cheeks as you both resume your fight.

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Meanwhile on a nearby rooftop, Ruby and Orchid were laying prone with Ruby watching your fight through her sniper scope and Orchid listening.

"What is going on? How does (Y/n) know Torchwick?"

"I-I don't know, b-but he doesn't sound happy."

"And who is he fighting, one of his henchmen?"

"S-seems so, a-are we going to help?"

"Of course we are! I just need to get a clear shot..."

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Neo ducks under a slash from you then goes low to sweep your legs, but you quickly sheath your sword and jam it onto her leg to stop it. She cringes in pain as she tries to dislodge her leg, but can't; you lean on your sword with both hands on the pommel, keeping pressure on it.

"Come on, you can do better than this." you tease.

You hear something behind you and immediately dodge out of the way. You're glad you do, as Roman had shot an explosive shot at you. Your eyes widen as Neo is engulfed in flames.

"NEO!"

You turn back to see Roman with a smirk on his face and Neo standing beside him. Roman twirls his cane, taking a drag from his cigar before tossing it away.

"Now where were we?"

"Look Roman, we don't have to do this. Just call off the attack on Beacon and we can all just walk away."

Roman bursts out laughing.

"Even if there _was_ going to be an attack on Beacon, do you really think I could do anything about it? Be serious kid."

You sigh and unsheathe your blade.

"I see. Guess we're doing this now huh?"

You spin around and block an attack from Neo with your sword then block another strike from Roman with your sheath. You struggle for a moment then push them off of you then lean back to dodge a stab from Neo's blade. As you do, Roman hooks Melodic Cudgel around your leg and trips you. You fall backward but swiftly stab your sword into the ground to catch yourself then balance yourself on it. You spin around and kick Roman in the neck as you parry a stab; he stumbles back but resumes attacking you. You parry a swing then kick off him, fall back, then spring kick off of Neo's head as she comes in for another attack. You flip, landing on your feet moving your sheath in front of your face as you hold it with both hands.

"Really? You're going to fight us with just your sheath?" Roman mocks.

"Pff please, I only need my sheath to beat you."

In the distance, the distinct sound of a sniper rifle going off catches everyone's attention.

"What in the hell?"

Roman turns his head in the direction of the sound. He's greeted by a sniper round knocking him into the wall of the warehouse. Neo immediately rushes to his side to ensure that he's okay.

"What was that? As if I didn't already know." you mutter, looking in the direction the shot was fired. "Whatever, saves me some trouble." you grab Onyx Rose and hastily make your escape.

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"E-excellent shot Ruby." Orchid compliments.

"Aw, it was nothing really."

"Don't sell yourself so short Rubes, only you could've made that shot."

Ruby and Orchid turn around and see you standing there, arms crossed with a scowl on your face.

"What are you two doing here? Why'd you follow me?" you grit your teeth so you wouldn't yell.

Ruby stands up and folds up Crescent Rose.

"Well what did you expect us to do when you're acting so weird? And you're welcome by the way."

You sigh and shake your head.

"Look I appreciate the help, but I can handle my own fights."

"Like your fight against Pyrrha?"

"That's clearly different!"

"W-we're getting off t-topic. (Y-Y/n), how do you know T-Torchwick?"

"None of your business."

Ruby steps up to you, glaring.

"Well maybe Ozpin would like to know why you know a criminal!"

"Really? You're gonna tell on me?"

"I won't if you just tell us."

"Fine, but it's kinda a long story. Come on, we'll walk and talk."

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 _ **One year ago…**_

 _You belch loudly, gaining the attention of some of the patrons of the bar, as well as the woman behind the counter. She had greying purple hair and light blue eyes, wearing a standard barmaid's outfit._

 _"Ahh, that was the best meal I've had in a while!" you sigh while patting your stomach._

 _The woman smiles, wrinkles becoming more apparent on her face._

 _"Aww thanks hon'." she says with a slight accent. "I'm glad_ someone _'ppreciates it." she directs her voice toward a man sitting at the far end of the bar._

 _"Ah, shut yer trap Mauve!" he drunkenly yells._

 _Mauve flips him off then turns her attention back to you._

 _"Don't pay him no mind, he's just sour I didn't make him his favorite dish for supper last night."_

 _"I see... well I'd better get moving if I wanna make it to Vale before sundown." you say getting up from your chair and making your way to the door. "Thank you for the meal."_

 _"Ain't'cha forgetting somethin' hon'? Like payin' for your meal?"_

 _You stop in your tracks, nervously looking over your shoulder._

 _"Umm... I was led to believe that I could eat here for free."_

 _"That's only for us locals hon'. Since we're so close to Vale, we get all sorts of Huntsmen and Huntresses comin' through here, so we get all our income from them."_

 _"So in other words, pay up!"_

 _You sheepishly rub the back of your head._

 _"Um... well... ya see... I'm kinda broke."_

 _"Well that just won't do will it?"_

 _You turn to the entrance and see a short, skinny wizened old man with a head of grey hair and matching moustache standing there holding a wooden cane that was twice his height, with a red spherical jewel embedded at the top. He walks over to you, his sandals clacking against the wooden floor. He looks you up and down before speaking._

 _"So, you're a Huntsman eh?"_

 _"Y-yes sir." you nod._

 _"Then I've got a way ya can pay fer your meal." he smiles. "Ya see, we've been havin' some problems with the Grimm recently and could use some help; think you're up to it lad?"_

 _"Pff you kiddin'? This'll be a walk in the park."_

 _"Hoho, confident young lad ain't ya? Well then meet me at the entrance at sundown and we'll get ya sorted." he walks past you and over to the bar, taking a seat and leaning his cane on it. "Until then get some rest. Mauve! Give this lad a room wouldja?"_

 _"You got it." Mauve pulls out a key with a tag attached to it, the number 5 scrawled on it in pen. She tosses it to you and you catch it. "Take yourself upstairs, I'll be sure to wake ya when it's time."_

 _"Uh, right... thank you." you bow and hurry off upstairs._

 _"Ya really think that boy can help us Reddas?" Mauve asks as she pours the elder a drink._

 _"I certainly hope so; otherwise I don't think this village will be here much longer."_

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 _You make your way over to an opening in a perimeter of logs serving as the entrance to the village. Standing there was the Elder, a man with orange hair in a brown shirt under a standard silver breastplate and a shortsword strapped to his side. On either side of him were a black-haired man and a blonde woman in similar armor._

 _"Who're they?" you ask._

 _"We..." the ginger man starts. "Are going to take care of our Grimm problem."_

 _"Huh, that's funny, 'cause_ I'm _taking care of your Grimm problem." you smirk._

 _The ginger growls at you and starts marching over to you, but Reddas gets in his way._

 _"Now, now Oran, calm yourself. (Y/n) here is gonna help ya."_

 _"This runt?" Oran snorts. "We can take care of this ourselves."_

 _"Perhaps, but it's just a precaution, better safe than sorry an' all that."_

 _Oran scowls, looking you up and down before speaking again._

 _"Fine, but you'd better not slow me down."_

 _"Feels like I should be the one saying that." you mutter._

 _Elder Reddas walks up to your group and taps each of you on the chest with the jewel on his cane._

 _"I pray for your safe return." he mutters eyes closed._

 _You notice a small shimmer of red Aura going around your bodies._

 _"What was that?"_

 _"Oh nothin' much, just a lil technique to give ya some extra Aura. Not much, but enough ta make a difference." he smiles. "Now get goin' lad, else you'll be left behind."_

 _You look as he points behind you and see Oran and the others already walking down the path leading out of the village. You run after them to catch up._

 _"Hey, wait for me!"_

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 _The shattered moon hangs high in the sky as your group treks through the forest. You're quite a ways away from the village, but not far enough that you can't get back if you run full speed._

 _"So, how much further?"_

 _"There's a clearing just up ahead where the Grimm gather." Oran answers._

 _"Mmm... how many are we talking?"_

 _"Dunno, a couple dozen maybe."_

 _"That's it?" you scoff. "I knew I could handle this myself."_

 _"Shh... we're here." the blonde sneaks closer to the tree line._

 _You all sneak closer, peeking through the bushes into the clearing. Your eyes widen as you see the clearing is packed with dozens upon dozens of Grimm: Beowolves, Ursai, some Creeps and two massive Beringels seemingly governing over them. They were just mingling amongst themselves like they were... waiting for something._

 _"That... is a lot of Grimm."_

 _"Definitely more than last time. Still think you can handle it?" Oran smirks._

 _"Eh... about 50/50."_

 _"Still... what are they all doing here?"_

 _You stand and unsheathe Onyx Rose._

 _"Don't know, don't care. I'll go in first, then you guys-"_

 _You're cut off by an explosion going off in the distance._

 _"What the hell was that?!"_

 _"That was in the direction of the village! Come on!"_

 _"Uh, Oran?"_

 _You all turn to the clearing and see that the Grimm started moving to your position._

 _"Looks like the Grimm got their signal." you mutter. "Come on, the village!"_

 _You lead your group as you run through the forest as the horde of Grimm gains on you. A Beowolf catches the blonde by the leg, tripping her up while some others pounce on her; her screams echo in your ears before fading out. An Ursa pounces at Oran, but his companion gets in the way taking the blow for him, screaming out as he's ripped apart. Oran closes his eyes and keeps running, his hands over his ears to block out the noise. He trips, his shortsword clattering to the ground before him; you stop to try and help him, but he waves you off._

 _"Never mind me, just go!"_

 _"But-"_

 _"GO! Get to the village and tell the Elder! He'll know what to do!"_

 _You reluctantly nod and run off, the sounds of his screams echoing in your ears; a part of you wanted to go back, but you force yourself to keep running - there's no helping him now. You reach the village and are horrified at the sight: Grimm were swarming around the area, buildings were ruined and on fire, and dead bodies littered the ground._

 _You grit your teeth, unsheathe your sword and activate your Breakthrough. In a matter of seconds, you run through the whole village, cutting down ant Grimm standing in your way. You stop on the other side of the village, slowly sheathing your sword; you finish and every Grimm in the village falls over, dead before they could even notice your presence. You turn around and see the horde of Grimm coming through the forest; you unsheathe Onyx Rose and point the blade at the horde._

 _"Guess I've got my work cut out for me..."_

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 _You fly into a ruined building causing it to fall in on you. Thankfully your Aura holds up, even after using your Breakthrough for so long. A Creep looming over you tries to stomp on you, but you roll out of the way, cutting through its leg. It stumbles and begins to fall onto you, but you switch to a reverse grip and unleash a sonic wave, cutting it in half. The halves fall harmlessly on either side of you as you stand up; now the only things in your way were those damn Beringels, they beat their chests and howl at you as you ready yourself._

 _"Alright monkey boys, show me what you're made of."_

 _The Beringels howl at you again and rush at you; you jump over them and extend Onyx Rose downward, into the back of one. You continue extending the blade until your high in the air then quickly retract it, driving your feet into the beast's back. While it's stunned, you capitalize by releasing another sonic wave, beheading it. The other Beringel growls at you in anger having watched you killed its partner._

 _"Hey... don't... get mad... at me." you pant. "You two-" you're cut off by the Beringel drop kicking you. You roll across the ground, using your sword to stop yourself. "Okay... rude!"_

 _The Beringel jumps in the air, attempting to slam its fists on you, but you roll out of the way. You rush in, slashing at its chest but it raises its arms to block your strike, you continue to attack, jumping, flipping and stabbing but the primate Grimm blocks and dodges all of your strikes. It grabs you and giant swings you into another building and rushes in to grab you while you're recovering. You struggle and gasp for life as the Beringel squeezes the life out of you._

 _You try to move your arm to attack, but the positioning of the Beringel's arms leaves your sword arm immobile at the elbow up. Thinking quickly then, you toss Onyx Rose into the air, catching it with your other hand and stabbing it into the gap in the Beringel's face armor. It howls out in pain and releases you, but you hang on tight to your sword planting your feet on its chest to steady yourself. You pour as much of your Aura into your sword as you can without running out - which isn't much. Dozens of smaller, needle-like blades begin to poke through the Beringel's head and shoulders; this continues until it stops struggling, falling limp. You deactivate Onyx Rose, pulling it out and landing on the ground; you cringe in pain as you stand up, watching as the Beringel falls over dead._

 _"WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!"_

 _A loud rumbling catches your attention; you look to the forest and notice trees toppling over. A Goliath comes bursting through the trees, its red eyes locking onto you._

 _"Why did I have to open my big mouth?"_

 _The Goliath bellows and marches toward you, but you dodge out of the way at the last second. You can only watch as the elephantine Grimm tramples over buildings and bodies before turning its attention back to you._

'I can't fight that thing with my Aura so low... but I doubt I'll get far if I run away. So... better finish this quickly.'

 _You activate your Breakthrough and bolt toward the Goliath as it thunders toward you. Your about to strike however, your Breakthrough wears off as the Grimm swings its trunk at you. It hits you in the side and you're sent tumbling into the wall of a ruined building, Onyx Rose clattering to the ground beside you. You cough up a bit of blood and move toward your sword, but stumble and fall over._

'Shit... I used too much Aura on those damn Beringels...'

 _You lie there as the Goliath moves over to you; it raises its leg and stomps down on you, ceasing your movement. A whistle sounds and a Bullhead lands in the area, signaling the Goliath to lumber away from your lifeless body. Roman Torchwick saunters his way through the ruined village, cane in one hand and the red orb from Reddas' staff in the other. He looks over the scene of carnage, smirking to himself._

 _"Well, I think this has been a sufficient test."_

 _His eyes land on your body lying there; he cautiously walks over to you as to not be ambushed and pokes you with his cane. When you don't move he checks your pulse, and is shocked when he feels it._

 _"So, you're still alive huh? Well we can't have that now can we?"_

 _He raises his cane and aims it at you, the bottom popping open... but then he stops and considers his - and your - position. He thinks about it for a second and smirks, coming to a decision._

 _"Though... it would be a shame to just let someone like you get away. Maybe... maybe I can use you kid."_

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 _You shoot up awake and look around; you were in a dark room sitting up on a couch. You don't know where you are, but you don't really care; you weren't dead clearly, but what happened? Suddenly, a door opens and a man walks in, brandishing a cane... and your sword; you immediately try to take it back from him, but he jabs you with his cane, knocking you back on the couch. Clearly you haven't fully recovered from your battle yet as pain shoots through your whole body._

 _"Whoa there, easy kid! I'm not gonna hurt ya."_

 _"Who are you? And where am I?"_

 _"Name's Roman Torchwick kid, and you're in the back room of Junior's bar. I brought you here after I found ya in that ruined village."_

 _You rub your head, scrunching your face._

 _"Oh... well thanks I guess. If you don't mind?"_

 _You gesture to your sword and Roman tosses it to you; you catch it as you stand up and stretch._

 _"Y'know... you were pretty beat up when I found you - nearly dead even."_

 _"And?" you raise an eyebrow._

 _"I'm just sayin' that I saved your life... and that you owe me. So, I've got a proposition for you. You're obviously not from Vale, so I can hook you up with a job, in exchange for a few... favors for me."_

 _You bring your hand up to your chin, pondering his proposal. It's true that you're new to Vale, and having no money would be problematic. You smile and hold your hand out._

 _"I guess I'll take you up on your offer Roman."_

 _Roman smirks and shakes your hand._

 _"Trust me kid, you won't regret it."_

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"And that's it." you finish.

"So, you didn't know who Torchwick was when you met him?" Ruby asks.

"Nope."

"And you didn't... hurt anyone did you?"

"Of course not, I made that clear up front."

"So... you're not a bad guy?"

You chuckle.

"No Ruby, I'm not. Although I wonder what I would be like if I was; probably really serious and boring all the time, no thanks."

You look to Orchid, who's taking in everything you just told her.

"Yo Orchid, you okay?"

"A-are you sure there's n-nothing else you're h-hiding from us?"

"There's plenty of things I'm 'hiding' from you; by the way, you can't tell the others about this got it?"

"B-but-"

"But nothing, they'll just freak out or something and I don't really want to answer a million questions, so no... telling... anyone. Got it?"

"I... I guess so."

"Good. Now then, the night's still young, so let's hit the town!" you start walking off.

"W-with our weapons?"

"What? We're Huntsmen so it's not totally insane right? Come on!"

The girls share a look; they're still suspicious of you but decide to trust you...for now.

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The doors to the warehouse Roman's in fly open and in walks a burly man with green hair with brown streaks in it; he scowls beneath his White Fang mask as he makes his way over to his "partner".

"Torchwick." he grumbles, making him turn in his chair.

"Oh... hey there Cedric... what do you want?"

"I just came by to tell you that the next stress test is in a few weeks. Is the Dust ready?"

"Well, there's been a few setbacks naturally, but it'll be ready in time."

"Hmph, it better be. Have you killed the one that's disrupting our operations yet?"

Roman rubs the back of his neck nervously.

"Well... I tried to, but... the kid's tougher than he looks. He beat us and got away; but I'll get him next time I swear!"

Cedric growls, clenching his fist.

"You'd better, otherwise Adam will have to get involved... and you don't want that human." he turns and leaves; when he does, Roman breathes a sigh of relief and sits back down while Neo glances at him worriedly.

"And what's that lunatic gonna do? Thanks to Cinder, we're untouchable!"

Neo walks over to her boss and gives him a look.

"Oh don't look at me like that! They don't know that it's technically my fault that (Y/n)'s messing them up, and as long as I keep it that way, it's fine."

Neo crosses her arms, looking at him incredulously.

"Look, I always have an out don't I?" Roman takes out a cigar, lighting it. "Worst come to worst, I can use that idiot Junior as a scapegoat."

Neo nods, satisfied with his answer and walks off. Roman takes a drag from his cigar, exhaling smoke as he sighs.

 _'I knew I should've offed that kid when I found him...'_

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 **Remember when I said that I'd be able to finish Volume 1 before Summer ends? Yeah... that's not happening. Why? Because I'm starting up another story! That's the reason that this chapter took so long to do - other than it being so long; it was me planning that story. It's a requested Blake x Male reader story, so if you guys like her you'll be satisfied. I won't talk about it too much here, but it will be the next thing I publish for this month instead of a new chapter for this, so be on the lookout for that.**

 **Speaking of requests, I do have some rules if you want to request a story:**

 **1\. If I'm already doing a requested story, I WILL NOT take another. This is for my sake, as I only want to focus on two stories at once. So until the Blake story is done, no requests!**

 **2\. If you want to request a story, leave a short summary of what you want your story to be about. Nothing major, just something so that I have a starting point to work with.**

 **3\. If I already have a story planned with a certain character, I WILL NOT do a request with that character until that story is finished. In the case for RWBY, I have a story planned with Pyrrha and Cinder, so those two are off the table for now, so sorry for that.**

 **As long as we all follow these rules we'll all be happy; I'm sorry if I sound a bit unreasonable, but there has to be some order right? Right. So with all that said, I'll see you in the new story!**

 **P.S. 6,000 views! Woot!**


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